莱斯特:明日将进行投票选出新市长

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明日莱斯特将举行大选，决定（1）将来的投票的方式是传统方式，还是AV方式（2）选出莱斯特的市长。

[来源: Leicester Mercury 5月4日]

http://www.thisisleicestershire. ... detail/article.html

Elections: Decision time for Leicestershire electorate - and every vote counts

Tomorrow, voters across Leicestershire go to the polls. People in the city will select a mayor and decide who makes up the council. Those who live in the south of the city will also get the chance to vote in a parliamentary by-election.

Meanwhile, county residents will decide who runs Leicestershire and Rutland’s district and borough councils.

On top of that, everyone will get a say on whether the UK should scrap the first past the post voting system and introduce the alternative vote.

Here is what voters will be considering in each area:
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Elected mayor

The city will decide who leads Leicester for the next four years.

The winner will be the first leader of the city picked directly by the electorate, rather than by councillors – usually behind closed doors.

The mayor will be the most powerful politician Leicester has had. He or she will oversee a £500 million budget and thousands of staff.

The Government plans to hand the mayor even more powers once it has passed the localism bill later this year.

Eleven candidates are in the running for the post.

City council

Labour romped to an unexpectedly large victory in 2007. A Tory and Liberal Democrat coalition was toppled by the party, which made large gains in the city while Labour councils elsewhere in the country fell.

After the election, councillors are likely to find they are less powerful than before as control shifts to the mayor.

But they will be able to vote down some of the mayor’s decisions – if enough disagree with him or her. The make-up of the council could be key to the success or failure of the new mayor.

Leicester South

The bookies have all but stopped taking bets on Jon Ashworth, Labour’s candidate in the by-election, which was triggered by the resignation of Peter Soulsby so he could fight to become mayor.

But Mr Ashworth says he is taking nothing for granted, as Lib Dem rival Zuffar Haq continues his well-funded poster and mail campaign.

A poll commissioned by the Mercury puts Conservative Jane Hunt in second place.

Oadby and Wigston

With some voters disillusioned with the coalition and Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg facing a backlash over tuition fee rises, this May could be the best chance opposing parties have had of staking a place in the borough’s political arena.

The Lib Dems hold 21 of the 26 seats on Oadby and Wigston Borough Council while the Tories have the remainder.

Lib Dems are hoping voters will think locally – not nationally – when going to the polls.

Twenty-six Liberal Democrats, 17 Conservatives and four Labour candidates are standing, across 10 wards.

Blaby

People in Blaby have voted for Conservative-led councils for many years and few expect that to change.

In 2007, the Conservatives won 27 seats, a net gain of two from the Liberal Democrats.

In the past year the total has dropped to 25 seats due to a death and a defection.

The Conservatives are currently opposed by seven Liberal Democrats, five Labour members and one Independent.

Harborough

The Conservatives swept to power four years ago, ousting a Liberal Democrat-led administration. At present, the council is made up of 25 Conservatives and 12 Liberal Democrats.

But the Conservative group has had three leaders during its term in office and three senior Tories are standing down.

Current council deputy chairman Mike Smith is standing as an independent after being de-selected by the Conservatives in Fleckney.

Two other well-known independents are standing in Lutterworth – former town mayor Bill Piper and businessman Clive Weston – and may cause an upset.

Charnwood

The Tories took 32 of the 52 seats in 2007, ousting a Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition. Labour has 13 seats, the Lib Dems five, with an independent and a BNP member.

The leader and deputy leader, Mike Preston and John Bush, are not seeking re-election.

North West Leicestershire

The Conservatives, who took control of the council for the first time at the last election, hold 26 seats, Labour five and Lib Dems three. There is one independent, a BNP councillor and two seats are vacant.

Hinckley and Bosworth

The Liberal Democrats hold 20 seats, the Conservatives 12 and Labour two.

The Lib Dems will be hoping to hold on to their dominance despite the party’s popularity falling at a national level.

Labour will be hoping to make gains against the two parties which make up the country’s governing coalition.

Melton

Currently, the Conservatives hold 20 of the 28 seats, while there are five independents and Labour hold three.

This time the Conservatives are fielding 26 candidates and Labour a record 22. Eight independents are standing.

Hot topics on the doorsteps have included housing developments, parking and leisure provision.