South Leeds Life unveils plans to cover May’s local and European elections.
A third of the Councillors on Leeds City Council are up for election on 22 May 2014, one in each of the 33 wards. There will also be elections for Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to represent Yorkshire & The Humber taking place on the same day.
Amidst falling turnouts at local elections and the debate over Russell Brand’s call for people not to vote, South Leeds Life has decided to step up its coverage of the local elections in May. We believe it’s important for people to engage in our local communities and the decisions being made about our communities. That, of course, includes who our elected representatives are.
A common criticism is that voters don’t know who the candidates are or what their views are. Election leaflets either don’t get through the door or are swept up with the junk mail straight into the recycling. So we will be providing a platform for candidates to explain why they are standing.
On South Leeds Life you will find a page dedicated to each of our three wards: Beeston & Holbeck, City & Hunslet and Middleton Park. The pages will go live once Leeds City Council publish the lists of candidates and all candidates will be invited to submit an equal amount of text, images and video.
South Leeds Life will not endorse any candidate or party and during the month leading up to the election we will not publish stories about any of our elected representatives (including Hilary Benn MP’s column).
We are also hoping to hold hustings – public meetings with the candidates – in each ward. This will give you, as a voter the chance to ask your question directly to the candidates. We are currently looking for partners who could help us host these meetings.