People across Harborough are being urged to go out and vote in next week’s elections - here are the details

People across Harborough are being urged to go out and vote in next week’s crunch Leicestershire County Council elections.

Voters throughout the district will get the chance to elect seven councillors to the county council next Thursday (May 6).

You will be able to return a councillor for the seven Harborough district divisions of Broughton Astley, Bruntingthorpe, Gartree, Launde, Lutterworth, Market Harborough East and Market Harborough West and Foxton.

Click here to view the candidates.

And people are being reassured by the local authority’s officers that polling stations ranging from pubs to schools, churches, libraries and other public buildings in Harborough will be totally Covid-safe.

“The main message is that all of our polling stations will be entirely Covid-secure,” said a county council spokeswoman, as she encouraged people to exercise their democratic right.

Every polling station will have hand sanitiser at entrances and exits as voters file in and out as the battle to combat the 13-month coronavirus outbreak goes on.

“There will be social distance markings and a one-way system where ever possible,” added the council spokeswoman.

Voting booths will be cleaned regularly throughout the day.

You might find council staff sitting behind screens.

But you are being assured that they will still be there on hand available to help you out if needs be.

Council staff are asking voters to wear a mask or face covering and to take their own pen or pencil to mark the ballot paper with.

But clean pencils will be available to use if you need them.

There are 55 county councillors in Leicestershire - and all the seats are up for grabs in next week’s election showdown.

Around 550,000 people in the county are eligible to vote.

And people in Harborough and across Leicestershire will also be able to vote in the Police and Crime Commissioner election – which was postponed last May amid the Covid pandemic – next Thursday.

Click here to view the candidates.

Voting stations will open their doors at 7am – and you will be able to go along and vote all day until 10pm at night.

Staff will start counting votes at 11.30am next Friday (May 7).

Stretching all the way back to 1889, county councils are huge local employers.

The authorities are responsible for a wide range of crucial public duties and functions.

They include looking after and overseeing education (schools and youth services), social services, highways, fire and rescue services, libraries, waste disposal, consumer services and town and country planning.