and by Iulia Rosu
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Live Blog: The 2011 council election and referendum
Watch live the distribution of the seats in Sheffield
The polling stations have now closed. We await the election results.
The count
Several wards only need the postal votes now. Results will come in very soon for Fulwood, East Ecclesfield, Broomhill.
In Ranmoor Village, out of 1400 registered voters, 450 people went to the polling station around 9 pm. Last year there were long queues at the same time, this year the polling station staff did not face any similar problem.
At the Opal 3 polling station in the student accommodation only 100 people out of a potential 500 went to vote on the local elections. No other queues were reported.
Claire Fidler, currently a presiding officer of the Opal polling station, was a clerk two years ago. She said: “After last year’s elections when we were very busy and of course we had all the problems which were very well publicised all over the city we’ve been involved in a few meetings since then and the training process for the clerks and presiding officers has got a lot more intense.
“There’s a lot more training that goes into it to ensure that people are prepared for every eventuality in the elections, we’ve got more polling stations as well this year, our has been really quiet but it is a new polling station.”
Nether Edge polling station was busier than expected. @jmahlives tweets : “@jus_news polling station busier than expected – Nether Edge ward – seems pple in Sheffield want their views heard!”
On the polling station in Endcliffe Village at 8.00 pm there were 660 people who voted out of 2000 registered voters.
The Centre polling station staff have told our reporter that they have been advised to not talk to the media. This is could be linked to last year’s voting problems at the Ranmoor Village polling station.
Local elections will be held today, from 7am to 10pm, in 279 local authorities, and for the Scottish Parliament and the National Assembly of Wales and Northern Ireland.
Voters, across the country, will be deciding whether they want to change the Westminster voting system, in a UK-wide referendum.
There will be, in addition, a UK parliamentary by-election in Sheffield – as well mayoral elections in Leicester, Torbay, Bedford, Middlesbrough and Mansfield.
The expected timings for the announced results are as follows:
Live: distribution of seats in Sheffield
Lid Dems face electoral meltdown
Picture Galllery
