April 15, 2019 2.33 pm This story is over 67 months old

Grimsby local elections: Feeling safe, homelessness and drugs use

Local people have been having their say on the local elections
Freeman Street, Grimsby. | Picture: Sean Strange

Feeling safe in the town centre, homelessness and drug use are the topics people in Grimsby want to see tackled ahead of the local elections.

North East Lincolnshire Council, which is currently a Labour minority administration, is set to elect a third of councillors next month.

People in the region will go to the polls on May 2 in a vote which could swing the balance of power.

Currently, the Labour group hangs on by a confidence and supply arrangement with the Liberal Democrats.

But locals have their own views on what needs to be the focus of the campaigns, ranging from the electoral system to anti-social behaviour.

You can find all the election candidates for North East Lincolnshire here.

Linda Mumby, from Waltham, said she felt the way councillors are elected  means that the authority cannot plan properly.

“I would like to see whole elections every four years,” she said.

“The current system does not let the council plan for the future.”

One resident who works in the town centre said she felt homelessness and drug use needed to be on the agenda.

“I don’t feel unsafe walking through town because I’ve lived here all my life,” she said. “But it is an issue.”

But others felt that safety in the town needed to be a priority.

An elderly gentleman, who did not wish to be named, felt anti-social behaviour should be at the top of the list.

“Feeling unsafe in the town centre is an issue,” he said.

“I would also like to see libraries open more often than they already are.”

Another resident, who works at Lets and Property Management in the town centre, felt that anti-social behaviour was an issue for local businesses.

A third of seats will be up for election on polling day, meaning 15 councillors will be returned to the council.

The Conservatives could seize control of the authority by winning six of those seats.

Labour will be looking for a repeat of last year’s election where the party won the most seats and remained in power on the council.

SUBSCRIBE TO LOCAL DEMOCRACY WEEKLY, our exclusive email newsletter with highlights from our coverage every week and insights and analysis from our local democracy reporters.