This week sees a big change in West Yorkshire as voters go to the polls tomorrow.
Residents will be asked to elect their first ever metro-mayor for the region, as well as taking part in local councillor elections.
In what is set to be a busy day for elections, around 48 million people will be casting various ballots across the country this Thursday, May 6th.
What elections are being held in West Yorkshire?
There are two elections being held in the region, with councillors being elected to serve on local councils and the first-ever West Yorkshire mayoral election taking place.
The new metro mayor for West Yorkshire will chair and lead the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, absorbing some of the previous responsibilities of the West Yorkshire police and crime commissioner..
This role will now include appointing the Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police and raising the portion of council tax which helps fund the police.
When do polling stations open?
Polling stations will be open between 7am to 10pm.
At polling stations, voters will need to wear face coverings – unless medically exempt – and social distancing measures will be widely enforced.
Voters are encouraged to bring their own pens or pencils to mark ballot papers.
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, there will also be emergency measures for people who have tested positive prior, or who have been forced to self-isolate.
Under this circumstance, an emergency proxy can be appointed up to 5pm on polling day.
Who is running for the first West Yorkshire Mayor?
The candidates for the first West Yorkshire mayoral election are:
Tracy Brabin - Labour
Bob Buxton - Yorkshire Party
Andrew Cooper - Green
Stewart Golton - Liberal Democrats
Matthew Robinson - Conservative
Waj Ali - Reform UK
Thérèse Hirst - English Democrats
Where do I go to vote?
Local polling stations may have moved this year so it's worth checking where your allocated station is ahead of time.
The details of this should be on your poll card, delivered to your address. If you've lost it, you can check your allotted station here.
The deadline to register for postal votes has now passed.
When will we know the results?
Following the election, voters will have a three-day wait to find out who their new mayor is.
Due to social distancing rules, the count for West Yorkshire mayor will take place on Sunday May 9th.
Ballots will be verified on Friday, then sealed and stored securely until Sunday when the count will take place
A spokesperson for the council said: "The elections for the West Yorkshire mayor will take place on 9 May 2021.
"All five constituent councils will be counting with reduced staff due to social distancing measures.
"It is anticipated the count will take longer than usual, however no timings have been confirmed at present."
News
‘It wasn’t its time’ – Mediterranean Leeds cafe closes just two months after opening
A new street food spot has sadly closed its doors just two months after opening.
Back in May, a beautiful taste of the Mediterranean was was brought to us by Shvaan, a very talented chef who previously worked alongside his family at Eastern Oven in Kirkgate Market.
An absolute gem of a spot, Eastern Oven is known for its fresh breads, aromatic meats and plates bursting with colour - and this is exactly what Shvaan set up with FenerBar.
This new venture opened up inside The Attic, a multidisciplinary arts and events space just on the outskirts of the city centre by The Tetley and the new Aire Park development.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Serving up Eastern Mediterranean dishes like mackerel, lamb and beef kebabs, as well as various colourful vegan plates, everything at Fenerbar was homemade and you could really tell the amount of love put into each and every dish.
Unfortunately, Fenerbar has now closed its doors with owner Shvaan stating 'it wasn't it's time'.
Announcing the sad news to Instagram, Fenerbar said: "fenerBar has been closed. It wasn’t its time, whether it’s from the past or in the future, we’ll have to find out.
"Many thanks to @theatticleeds for hosting me and giving me the space to give it a shot. Wish them all the best. And thanks to everyone who came."
Of course in true Leeds fashion, fellow independents flocked to the comments showing their support and wishing Fenerbar all the luck in the next chapter.
We're sure this isn't the end for Shvaan's talents, and we can't wait to see what he does next.
Vinyl-only 1970s-inspired cocktail bar coming to Leeds from team behind some of the city’s best bars
Clementine Hall
A new cocktail bar is coming to Leeds city centre.
If you know a thing or two about cocktails, or just drinks in general, then you're going to be very excited about this news.
The very talented team behind Roland's on Call Lane and The Domino Club, just to name a few, are setting their sites on a brand-new venture.
Introducing Paper Plane, an intimate new cocktail bar that will be taking over the old Casa site in the city's beautiful Grand Arcade.
Paper Plane will be inspired by the glamour of 1970s air travel and will be a vinyl-only listening bar, serving a world-inspired cocktail menu alongside a carefully curated whisky collection.
The space will be lovely and intimate, with around just 40 covers, designed to transport guests somewhere completely different from the minute they step foot through the door.
And what a location too, joining a whole host of fantastic independents in the arcade such as Alfonso's Deli, Stuzzi and Sonder.
For now, we don't know many more details about the project, but we already know it's going to be exceptional cas anything these guys do turns to gold.
Not only has Roland's been consistently one of the busiest bars on Call Lane since they opened back in 2014, but The Domino Club was recently crowned one of the best cocktail bars in the world. Now that is some accolade worth shouting about.
We'll keep you updated with Paper Plane's progress, but Roland's have stated that the site is hoping to open this coming autumn. So we really don't have long to wait.
Georgina Pellant -
5th May 2021 
