VOTERS heading to the polls this week to have their say in borough and Police and Crime Commissioner elections are being urged to take safety precautions to help contain the spread of Covid-19.
Two by-elections - in Hindpool and Roosecote - will see residents of those wards select who they would like to represent them on Barrow Borough Council.
Meanwhile, everyone eligible to vote in Barrow and across Cumbria, will decide which of three candidates will become Cumbria’s next Police and Crime Commissioner.
Everybody attending their local polling station must ensure they arrive wearing a face mask and follow the guidelines relating to hand sanitising and social distancing.
Members of the public are also being asked to bring their own pen or pencil to vote where possible, to help reduce the use of shared items, although pencils will be available at all polling stations for voters who come without.
A spokesperson for Barrow Borough Council said: “We urge as many people as possible to use their vote and have their say this Thursday.
“We will have measures in place at all polling stations to ensure that residents are as safe as possible when they come to cast their votes and ask that everyone follows the advice.”
The Roosecote and Hindpool wards in Barrow will be contested after seats in both became vacant last year.
Cllr Rory McClure who represented Roosecote sadly died in January 2020. And Cllr David Pidduck, who represented Hindpool, resigned in July 2020.
In the Hindpool ward, the candidates are:
● Niyall Phillips for the Conservative Party
● Jo Tyson for the Labour Party
In Roosecote ward, the candidates are:
● Paul Griffiths for the Labour Party
● Jay Zaccarini for the Conservative Party
The election of a new PCC was due to take place last year, but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic,
The candidates are:
● Loraine Birchall of Urswick, Ulverston, representing the Liberal Democrats
● Barbara Cannon, of Harrington, Workington, representing the Labour and Co-operative Party
● Peter McCall, of Penrith and the Border, representing the Conservative Party
Polling stations open at 7am and close at 10pm on polling day, which is Thursday, May 6.