Political parties in Nottingham will began sharing their manifesto pledges in the coming days with three weeks to go until voters head to the ballot box. Local authorities across the UK will be holding elections on May 4, with all of Nottinghamshire's district and borough councils up for grabs.
Elections will also be held at Nottingham City Council and some of the main parties standing have confirmed they will be publishing their manifestos in the next few days. Nottingham Labour will be the first to officially launch their manifesto on Friday (April 14).
Ahead of the official publication, the party has already shared its top five pledges for the people of Nottingham which include helping city residents to cope with the cost of living crisis, keeping streets and neighbourhoods clean and supporting 3,000 Nottingham people into work.
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The other two pledges include Nottingham becoming the first carbon neutral city in the country and working with housing associations and builders to provide 1,000 new and affordable rented homes to rent or buy. Labour are currently the majority party on Nottingham City Council and are the only party in this election fielding a candidate for all of the 55 seats available.
Parties opposing them include the Nottingham Green Party, which says it should have published its full manifesto by the end of the week. The Liberal Democrats, meanwhile, say they will not be publishing a full manifesto this election.
Instead, the party will produce a "statement of priorities" early next week which it would focus on if it was elected into opposition. The party is not fielding enough candidates to control the council.
Key points will include calling for "sound finances to return to the city," reopening Nottingham Castle with a publicly available business plan, reopening Nottingham Central Library and calling for no more threats of further library closures. It is not clear when the Nottingham Independents or Conservatives will be publishing a Nottingham manifesto, with neither responding in time for publication.
One member of the Nottingham Conservative party's executive said he didn't know whether they would be publishing a manifesto this year as a row over selections continues. The chairman of the party has previously rejected claims it is "in a mess" ahead of the local elections.
The Conservatives have 41 candidates in the upcoming election, the Nottingham Independents have 28 and the Liberal Democrats have 20. Those with a smaller number of candidates include the Green Party with 17, UKIP with two, the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition with one and three independent candidates.
Anyone wishing to vote in the election has to register to vote by April 17 and will also have to make sure they have photo ID to show at their polling station. Accepted forms of ID include a UK, EEA or Commonwealth passport, UK or EEA driving licence, an older person's bus pass or an Oyster 60+ card. Those who don't have an accepted form of ID can apply online, but must do so by 5pm on April 25.
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