DEVO DIARY: Nominations close
As the deadline has passed to stand in the elections, the final lists of persons nominated have been published. There are eight candidates in Liverpool City Region and the same number in Greater Manchester.
The full lists of candidates whose names will appear on ballot papers on 4 May are as follows:
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
- Roger Bannister, Trade Unionist & Socialist Coalition
- Paul Breen, Get the Coppers off the Jury
- Tony Caldeira, Conservative Party
- Carl Cashman, Liberal Democrats
- Tom Crone, Green Party
- Tabitha Morton, Women’s Equality Party
- Steve Rotheram, Labour Party
- Paula Walters, UK Independence Party
Greater Manchester Combined Authority
- Sean Anstee, Conservative Party
- Mohammad Aslam, Independent
- Jane Brophy, Liberal Democrats
- Andy Burnham, Labour & Co-operative Party
- Marcus Farmer, Independent
- Stephen Morris, English Democrats
- Shneur Odze, UK Independence Party
- Will Patterson, Green Party
It’s a shame to see there will be no option to vote for a Women’s Equality Party candidate in Greater Manchester. The fledgling political party started two years ago by journalist and author Catherine Mayer and broadcaster Sandi Toksvig has been a rare voice of sense and reason in the sometimes less than grown-up world of political shouting. And the Manchester branch got off to a strong start, one of the first to be formed and its members including a couple of planning and communications industry friends of Place North West. The North West baton is solely in the hands of Tabitha Morton in Liverpool now though.
A “Night Tsar” could be appointed if Andy Burnham is elected mayor in GM. It seems a tweet from Sacha Lord-Marchionne, co-founder of the Warehouse Project and Parklife, was all it took for Burnham to agree to the wonderfully named new role. The Night Tsar would specialise in promoting the city’s nightlife, including the introduction of late-running Metrolink services, something that would be popular among revellers. Burnham’s instant agreement is slightly reminiscent of candidates for student unions; if campaigning carries along the same lines we’ll be getting free pizza by the end of it all.
