ENGLAND and Wales will go ahead with local government elections on May 6 despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the government said on Friday(5) announcing a range of additional safeguards to make voting flexible and secure.
The elections, which decide hundreds of positions in local governments across both countries, had been under review due the coronavirus, with England currently in a state of lockdown that is expected to last at least another month.
But on Friday the government said that they had decided to go ahead, albeit with a series of special measures including more flexible rules on proxy voting and telling voters they should bring their own pens to mark ballot papers.
“Democracy should not be cancelled because of Covid,” said the constitution minister Chloe Smith.
Election in the devolved Scottish and Welsh parliaments are due to take place on the same day, but they are administered separately and not covered by Friday's announcement.
Local elections usually give some signal as to the public's happiness with the current central government, although specific local issues are often also influential meaning the results are not a direct proxy of national sentiment.
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During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)