Independentsâ day: the rise of hyperlocal political parties
More than 100 locally-focused parties are hoping to win seats in Englandâs council elections on 6 May
A voter placing a ballot paper in a ballot box. Photograph: Rui Vieira/PA
A voter placing a ballot paper in a ballot box. Photograph: Rui Vieira/PA
Tue 27 Apr 2021 08.10 EDT
Last modified on Tue 27 Apr 2021 09.01 EDT
While much of the attention around Englandâs local elections will focus on the fortunes of the main parties, across the country an independent force is quietly gathering pace, with the potential to upset the biggest beasts in council politics.
05:00, 22 FEB 2021
Local elections are due to be held in May (Image: Pete Stonier.)
Want Stoke-on-Trent news emailed to you direct from our journalists? Sign up to our newsletterInvalid EmailSomething went wrong, please try again later.
Subscribe
When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Your information will be used in accordance with ourPrivacy Notice.
Thank you for subscribingWe have more newslettersShow meSee ourprivacy notice
Community leaders have raised concerns about the safety of elections due to take place in May – and the impact of restrictions on campaigning for candidates.
All seats on Staffordshire County Council will be up for grabs. And both Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire residents will also be electing a new police, fire and crime commissioner after the ballot was postponed from last year.
the throne. nearly everyone agrees she s been the very definition of a queen, successfully carrying out a job that has no real definition at all. as mark phillips will report in our cover story. reporter: the trumpets have blown their fanfares, the guilded coaches have rolled, and we ve seen that wave for 60 years. still doing the wave. still doing the screwing in the light bulb motion. reporter: a four-day long diamond jubilee party has begun. what is it about her now that makes her so popular? whatever the job is, she s done it very well. reporter: the diamond queen ahead on sunday morning. when it comes to special occasions like the diamond jubilee, somebody has to keep the queen in stitches. not a court jester though we re talking about as martha teichner will show us. reporter: sworn to absolute secrecy, the royal school of needle work spent three months applying lace to the dress kate middleton wore when she wore the dress last april. now the school is har
queen, successfully carrying out a job that has no real definition at all. as mark phillips will report in our cover story. reporter: the trumpets have blown their fanfares, the guilded coaches have rolled, and we ve seen that wave for 60 years. still doing the wave. still doing the screwing in the light bulb motion. reporter: a four-day long diamond jubilee party has begun. what is it about her now that makes her so popular? whatever the job is, she s done it very well. reporter: the diamond queen ahead on sunday morning. when it comes to special occasions like the diamond jubilee, somebody has to keep the queen in stitches. not a court jester though we re talking about as martha teichner will show us. reporter: sworn to absolute secrecy, the royal school of needle work spent three months applying lace to the dress kate middleton wore when she wore the dress last april. now the school is hard at work on a commission for the queen s jubilee. you can see it s e