Sheffield election candidates throw their hats in the ring as biggest parties on equal footing

The city council election is set to be a nail-biter for both Labour and the LibDems – they are neck and neck as the council remains under no overall control. Labour are still the biggest party with 30 members but they are only one ahead of the LibDems.

That situation follows the departure of eight long-standing Labour councillors to form the Sheffield Community Councillors group and the resignation of Firth Park Labour councillor Abtisam Mohammed. She is standing for Labour in the general election as Sheffield Central MP Paul Blomfield is retiring.

In Sheffield, there are 84 elected councillors with three councillors for each of the 28 wards and one-third of the seats is contested annually three years in every four. Coun Abtisam’s seat has been added to that list as a casual vacancy, so voters in Firth Park will choose two councillors.

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The Greens are the third biggest group with 14 councillors and there is also one Conservative and one independent.

In South Yorkshire, the functions of the Mayor and those of the elected Police and Crime Commissioner are being brought together into the single role of Mayor of South Yorkshire, so those elections are taking place two years early, also on May 2.

After the election the Mayor will serve a four-year term, with the next chance to vote taking place in May 2028.

Anyone not registered to vote in these elections can do so until Tuesday, April 16. Applications can be made online at https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote