By Local election count officially underway at Grimsby Auditorium!
The first ballot boxes have arrived at Grimsby Auditorium and the counting has finally commenced as the local elections for 2022 get underway.
Volunteers began to deliver the boxes at ten past ten in the evening to the auditorium as local elections get underway across the nation.
North East Lincolnshire Council Chief Executive Rob Walsh opened the count by thanking volunteers for being here and adding how important local elections are.
He said: “This is really important. It is a two-stage process with verification and then the count for each ward. We take our time and we are thorough.”
Roughly 100 members of council staff and tellers are involved in the counting process, which will continue into the early hours of the morning.
The turnout figure for the elections is expected at midnight, as last years turnout sat at 24.9% across North East Lincolnshire.
The first ballot box to arrive was from the Freshney ward, at The Queenway Hub.
As of 11:30 pm East Marsh ward became the first ward to begin their official count following their verification, followed closely by Immingham at 11:55pm.
Cleethorpes MP Martin Vickers shared his own memories of his first local election when he stood for the Humber ward.
He is here tonight in another capacity, supporting his daughter Christine Vickers who is also standing for Conservative in the Sydney Sussex ward.
Mr Vickers was wearing the very same rosette his mother Winifred made for his election back in 1976, adding that he had proudly been campaigning all week.
Grimsby MP Lia Nici has also arrived at the vote to support her fellow Conservatives candidates as the counting commences.
As we reach the midnight hour all the wards have now been verified meaning the counting is well underway for this years council elections.
Candidates will now anxiously bites their finger nails in anticipation as they watch their votes roll in.
Stick with us throughout tonight for all the latest updates from this years count!
