Yesterday, Ministers reiterated that local elections will go ahead as scheduled this May. Many of these – such as Bristol’s mayoral and council elections – have already been postponed from 2020. It is important that we don’t put democratic accountability on hold for any longer than we need to, but it is also important that elections are conducted in a way that is Covid secure, particularly for staff who will have to work in the polling stations and count the votes.

In Bristol there will now be elections for all councillors, the Bristol mayor, the West of England Mayor and the Police and Crime Commissioner. This would be confusing at the best of times, and I asked the Minister how he would make sure that we get the right advice to voters, especially those who might find it more difficult to engage e.g. if they have visual impairments.

I will be posting more about these elections in due course – and making the case as to why people should vote for their Labour candidates! But regardless of how you vote, I would encourage everyone to consider registering to vote by post this time round, to ensure the maximum possible participation in these elections.

Watch here.