Voters in the East Riding will go to the polls on Thursday, May 4 to elect which candidates they want to fill the council’s 67 seats.
In May 2019, the Conservatives won a commanding 49 out of 67 seats while Labour was wiped out, leaving the Liberal Democrats as the main opposition force.
But seven by elections, four deaths, a Conservative leadership coup and a couple of scandals later, the ruling group’s grip on Country Hall looks a little less tighter.
Though no group comes close to their 42 seat total, the Liberal Democrats have chipped away at the Conservatives inflicting three thumping by election defeats in a row.
With all seats up for grabs in May there is everything to play for as the Conservatives try to hold onto the power they have had since 2007.
Their rivals have a steep mountain to climb but the departure of 16 of the 67 sitting councillors a raft of opportunities for gains have opened up.
And in some wards the race could be very close and come down to whether past trends hold or if turnout changes much from 2019’s 32 per cent.
Here are five wards where the battle for a seat in County Hall could get interesting.
Some see a return to battles previously fought on tight margins while others are wide open for newcomers as incumbents stand down.
Bridlington Central and Old Town
The ward covering central Bridlington will see the departure of Conservative former East Riding Council Leader Cllr Richard Burton who is not seeking re-election this year.
This year, independent incumbent Liam Dealtry who previously served as Bridlington’s mayor is looking to hold his seat as four parties vie for the other up for the grabs.
Cllr Burton came second in the 2019 election with 764, coming just 120 votes behind Cllr Dealtry who got 884.
The former council leader’s departure removes the Conservatives’ incumbent advantage in a seat next to ones where other parties have been gaining ground.
In Bridlington South, sitting Yorkshire Party councillors Andy Walker and Tim Norman took seats off Labour and UKIP in 2019.
Liberal Democrat Cllr Jayne Phoenix took one vacated after the death of Conservative Cllr Chad Chadwick in Bridlington North last year.
Labour and the Conservatives have each put up one candidate in Central and Old Town this year, David Sweet and Maria Ibbotson respectively.
John Arthur and Ray Pollard are carrying the Liberal Democrats’ standard to the poll in May.
Carlo Verda is standing for the economically left, socially right wing Social Democratic Party (SDP) after coming fourth out of five in the Bridlington North by election last June.
One quarter of registered voters cast their ballots in the 2019 election.
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