Hastings election: Voting ends and counting begins

Counters prepared to start going through the votes at Horntye Park SUS-160505-222109001

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The voting has closed for the 2016 Hastings council elections and counting has begun to decide who will run the town.

Residents have been visiting their local polling stations making their choice for who should represent their ward at Hastings Borough Council.

The Sussex police and crime commissioner is also up for election as well as East Sussex County Council St Helens and Silverhill ward following the death of John Hodges but voting closed at 10pm.

The wait is now on as the army of counters go through the votes at Horntye Park Sports Complex.

Only half of councillors are up for election with one vacancy in each ward, other than Old Hastings after Mr Hodges’ death, a total of 17 seats are up for grabs.

Labour is hoping to maintain its control of the council and build on its 75 per cent share of councillors and not lose any of its 13 seats up for election.

The Conservatives will be looking to improve on its eight councillors and not lose its three up for election and the Liberal Democrats will be looking to get a foothold on the local authority again as it has not had a councillor since 2010.

The Green Party has a full roster of candidates standing in all borough wards for the first time and UKIP has five candidates in the running.

There is one sole independent, Clive Gross, who is standing in St Leonards Central.

Here is the full list of candidates:

Ashdown: Kelvin Brotherston (Lab), Gabriel Carlyle (Green), Rob Cooke (Con), Tony Seymour (Lib Dem).

Baird: Warren Davies (Lab), Al Dixon (Green), John Faulkner (Lib Dem), Terry Keen (Con).

Braybrooke: Xan Brooker (Lib Dem), Janet Grigg, (Cons), Sally Phillips (Green), Dominic Sabetian (Lab).

Castle: Matthew Owen Davies (Con), Andrea Needham (Green), Nicky Perry (Lib Dem) Judy Rogers (Lab).

Central St Leonards: Clive Daniel Gross (independent), Arkady Johns (Green), Sue Tait (Lib Dem), John Waterfall (Con), Trevor Webb (Lab).

Conquest: Lindsey Fellows (Lib Dem), Eileen Masters (Lab), Charlotte Potter (Green), John Rankin (Con).