A guide to local elections

Coventry City Council, along with around 145 other local authorities in Britain, will be holding elections to elect their local representatives this May.  The election, on Thursday 5 May, will also include a number of mayoral elections and seats on 1,000 parish councils, the smallest type of council.

What are the local elections?

In local elections, councillors are voted in by the local community to represent their views and provide public services such as community transport schemes, housing and road maintenance.

The political climate has changed significantly since the last time that most of these seats were contested in 2018. Four years on, the UK has seen leadership change in both the Conservative and Labour parties, and the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost of living and the war in Ukraine have all become national issues that will play a part in the upcoming elections.

How can I vote as a student?

To vote, you must live in the UK, be registered to vote, and be over 18.

You also must legally be a British citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of the Republic of Ireland.

Polls will open on 5 May from 7am – 10pm and voters can vote by postal vote, by proxy or via polling stations. You can find a list of Coventry polling stations here.

Who can I vote for?

If you’re a Warwick student and live in the Coventry area (including Earlsdon and on-campus accommodation), you can vote in the Coventry City Council elections. 18 out of the 54 seats on the City Council will be up for grabs.

Earlsdon students are currently represented by three Labour councillors: Becky Gittins, Dr Kindy Sandhu and Antony Tucker.

Dr Sandhu is re-running for the Labour seat, among Stephen John Richmond (Liberal Democrats), Zaid Rehman (Conservative and Unionist Party), Adam Joachim Harmsworth (Trade Unionist and Socialist Party), John David Campbell Finlayson (Green Party) and Cameron Ewart Baxter (Coventry Citizens Party).

If you live on campus, your local council is Wainbody. The current councillors are John Blundell, Timothy Winspear Sawdon and Mattie Heaven, all members of the Conservative party.

Five candidates are currently running for this seat – Des Arthur for Labour, Green Party’s Becky Finlayson, Adam Jack Hancock for CCP, James Frederick Morshead for the Liberal Democrats, and returning Conservative councillor Mattie Heaven.

If you’re local to the Warwick District (including Leamington Spa and Kenilworth), there are no elections in this area.

Along with national stories, the issue of rubbish collection will be an important factor in voting for Coventry residents – the city has recently faced strikes by bin lorry drivers over pay of in-house refuse collection drivers.

 

You can find the full list of candidates for Coventry City Council below.

 

List of candidates

 

Bablake

Jaswant Singh Birdi, Conservative and Unionist Party

Tony Middleton, Coventry Citizens Party

Caroline Spence, Liberal Democrat

George Robert Walker, Labour Party

Binley and Willenhall

Chrissie Brown, Green Party

Paul Nichalos Cowley, Coventry Citizens Party

Marianne Angela Fitzgerald, Alliance for Democracy and Freedom

Amarjit Singh Khangura, Conservative and Unionist Party

John Roderick Mutton, Labour Party

Cheylesmore

Roger Maurice James Bailey, Conservative and Unionist Party

Anna Caroline Grainger, Liberal Democrat

Judy Griffiths, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Sian Katie Jones, Coventry Citizens Party

Ami Kaur, Labour Party

John Verdult, Green Party

Earlsdon

Cameron Ewart Baxter, Coventry Citizens Party

John David Campbell Finlayson, Green Party

Adam Joachim Harmsworth, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Zaid Rehman, Conservative and Unionist Party

Stephen John Richmond, Liberal Democrat

Kindy Sandhu, Labour and Co-operative Party

Foleshill

Tariq Khan, Labour Party

Zia Ahmed Khan, Independent

Raja Reddy Meesala, Conservative and Unionist Party

Henley

Kevin Barry Maton, Labour Party

Aidan Spencer O’Toole, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Kenneth John Taylor, Conservative and Unionist Party

Cathy Wattebot, Green Party

Charlie Wilson, Coventry Citizens Party

Holbrook

Raj Dhaliwal, Labour Party

Alan Benjamin Gavin, Coventry Citizens Party

Stephen Robert George Gray, Green Party

Jim Hensman, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Zeeshan Qazi, Conservative and Unionist Party

Longford

Karl Aldred, Green Party

Jaspal Singh Bahara, Liberal Democrat

Diane Sylvia Crookes, Conservative and Unionist Party

Lindsley Harvard, Labour Party

Nicola Jayne Spalding, Coventry Citizens Party

Lower Stoke

Michael Arthur Ballinger, Conservative and Unionist Party

John Patrick O’Sullivan, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Esther Mary Reeves, Green Party

Rupinder Singh, Labour and Co-operative Party

Danielle Stringfellow, Coventry Citizens Party

Radford

Dave Anderson, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Irena Bosworth, Coventry Citizens Party

Patricia Maria Hetherton, Labour Party

Laura Frances Ridley, Conservative and Unionist Party

Julie Ann Spriddle, Green Party

Sherbourne

Marcus Luke Paris Fogden, Coventry Citizens Party

Jackie Gardiner, Conservative and Unionist Party

Jane Elizabeth Nellist, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Nukey Proctor, Liberal Democrat

George Teggin, Green Party

Seamus Walsh, Labour Party

St Michael’s

Dave Nellist, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

David Neil Priestley, Green Party

Marty Taylor, Conservative and Unionist Party

David Stuart Welsh, Labour Party

Karen Wilson, Coventry Citizens Party

Upper Stoke

Gary Ronald Cooper, Coventry Citizens Party

Gurdev Singh Hayre, Labour Party

Terri Hersey, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Gurdeep Singh Sohal, Conservative and Unionist Party

Laura Katherine Vesty, Green Party

Wainbody

Des Arthur, Labour Party

Becky Finlayson, Green Party

Adam Jack Hancock, Coventry Citizens Party

Mattie Heaven, Conservative and Unionist Party

James Frederick Morshead, Liberal Democrat

Westwood

Jim Donnelly, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Abdul Jobbar, Labour Party

Jessica Mary Marshall, Green Party

Manjeet Rai, Conservative and Unionist Party

Jamie Simpson, Liberal Democrat

Whoberley

Russell David Field, Liberal Democrat

Nate Lewis, Coventry Citizens Party

Anne Patterson, Green Party

Bally Singh, Labour and Co-operative Party

Stephen James Smith, Conservative and Unionist Party

Woodlands

Sarah Stephanie Davis, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Lynnette Catherine Kelly, Labour and Co-operative Party

Julia Elizabeth Lepoidevin, Conservative and Unionist Party

Mark James Perryman, Liberal Democrat

Lesley Clare Sim, Green Party

Thomas Craig Watts, Coventry Citizens Party

Wyken

Faye Abbott, Labour Party