2018 Sheffield City Region mayoral election

First mayoral election in South Yorkshire

The inaugural Sheffield City Region mayoral election was held on 3 May 2018 to elect the mayor of the Sheffield City Region. The mayor will lead the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority. Voting is restricted to the four councils which are constituent members of the combined authority: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield. Together these councils make up South Yorkshire.

As the election took place using the supplementary vote system, electors were able to vote for a "first preference" candidate and a "second preference" candidate. The leading candidate needed to achieve over 50% of the first preference votes in order to be elected in the first round. As the leading candidate, Dan Jarvis, received 47.1% of the total number of votes in the first round, the election proceeded to the second round and voters second preferences were distributed between the two leading candidates. Dan Jarvis, the Labour and Co-operative candidate, was subsequently elected in the second round with a total number of 144,154 votes.

Subsequent elections will be held in May 2022 and every four years after.^[1]

Electoral system

The election used a supplementary vote system, in which voters express a first and second preference of candidates.^[2]

• If a candidate receives over 50% of the first preference vote the candidate wins.
• If no candidate receives an overall majority, i.e., over 50% of first preference votes, the top two candidates proceed to a second round and all other candidates are eliminated.
• The first preference votes for the remaining two candidates stand in the final count.
• Voters' ballots whose first and second preference candidates are eliminated are discarded.
• Voters whose first preference candidates have been eliminated and whose second preference candidate is in the top two have their second preference votes added to the count.

This means that the winning candidate has the support of a majority of voters who expressed a preference among the top two.

All registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) living in the combined authority area aged 18 or over on 3 May 2018 were entitled to vote in the mayoral election.

Results

Overall

By area

Barnsley

Doncaster

Rotherham

Sheffield

Candidates

Conservative Party

• Ian Walker, parliamentary candidate for Sheffield Hallam in 2015 and 2017^[4]

Green Party of England and Wales

• Rob Murphy, Speaker for the Green Group on Sheffield Council^[5]

English Democrats

• David Allen^[6]

Labour Party

• Dan Jarvis, MP for Barnsley Central from 2011 onwards, was selected to stand in a ballot of Labour Party members.^[7][8] Jarvis was also selected by the Co-operative Party and stood as a joint Labour and Co-operative candidate.^[3]

Liberal Democrats

• Hannah Kitching, businessperson and campaigner^[10]

South Yorkshire Save Our NHS

• Naveen Judah^[11]

Yorkshire Party

• Mick Bower, candidate for Rotherham in 2017^[6]

Endorsements

Dan Jarvis

• David Blunkett^[12]
• Kevin Barron^[13]
• Ed Miliband^[14]
• Stephanie Peacock^[15]
• Rosie Winterton^[14]

Naveen Judah

• National Health Action Party^[16]

References

1. "About the Mayoral Election - Sheffield City Region". SCR. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
2. "Sheffield City Region - I am a voter". Sheffield City Region. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
3. "Mayoral Election Results - Sheffield City Region". Sheffield City Region Combined Authority. 4 May 2018. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
4. Conservatives North (30 August 2013). "Congratulations to @IGWalker on being selected as Conservative candidate for the @sheffieldcityregion mayoral election on May 3". Twitter.com. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
5. "Green Party announces mayoral candidate | Sheffield Green Party". Sheffield Green Party. 12 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
6. "Sheffield City Region mayoral election: Labour members to choose candidate following delay". Retrieved 22 February 2018.
7. "Jarvis to stand for South Yorkshire mayor". BBC News. 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
8. "Dan Jarvis selected as Labour's candidate for South Yorkshire mayor - LabourList". 24 March 2018.
9. Rogers, Sienna (24 March 2018). "Dan Jarvis selected as Labour's candidate for South Yorkshire mayor". LabourList.
10. "Council leader Chris Read on "fascinating" South Yorkshire Mayor job". Rotherham Advertiser. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
11. "Plans underway for Mayoral election". The Star. 27 March 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
12. "Column: It's time to put Sheffield City Region on the map". Retrieved 22 February 2018.
13. MP, Kevin Barron (16 February 2018). "I believe @DanJarvisMP is the right man to take South Yorkshire forward". @KevinBarronMP. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
14. Miliband, Ed (19 February 2018). "Statement from Ed Miliband and Rosie Winterton in support of @DanJarvisMPpic.twitter.com/kUFQkdRZUK". @Ed_Miliband. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
15. Peacock, Stephanie (20 February 2018). "I'm backing @DanJarvisMP as @UKLabour's South Yorkshire Mayoral candidate. Dan's vision and passion is best placed to take advantage of this important opportunity, drive home the benefits of devolution, and improve the lives of people here in Barnsley and across South Yorkshire". @Steph_Peacock. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
16. "Support Naveen Judah for Sheffield City Regional Mayor!". NHA Party. Retrieved 3 April 2018.