Councillor Ann Kingstone!

Over the last few months it has been a pleasure and a privilege to campaign alongside many fellow Labour party members in the run up to the local elections, which just over a week ago took place a whole year late, having been postponed due to the pandemic.

As well as campaigning for the Labour candidate to become West Yorkshire’s first ever Mayor (reader – she won!), I was campaigning to be elected myself as a councillor for Skircoat ward in Calderdale. Though I have campaigned in many elections as a Labour activist, this was the first time I have done so as a candidate.

The elections took place on Thursday May 6th, then the count took place over the following two days. On the Friday it was ‘verification of ballots’ when all the ballots from each ballot box were counted. This established how many people had voted, but not who they had voted for. That was done the next day. It was an exciting process, and because Skircoat is a marginal ward, we didn’t know I had been elected until very near the end of the count.

Yes, I was elected!!! We won a seat for Labour from the Conservatives, the third time this has ever been achieved in Skircoat. This win completed a hat trick for Labour in Skircoat, where we had also won in the previous two ward elections, meaning that now all three of Skircoat’s councillors are Labour!

This means I will now take up responsibilities as a member of Calderdale Council. Our first full council meeting is this Wednesday at Halifax Minster, where among various items of council business, we will elect the Calderdale Mayor (a ceremonial role). However, I will also continue to run my handknit design business as previously, and am looking forward to getting on with some knitting now that the very time-intensive campaign is over. I have quite a few WIPs to complete!