South Yorkshire mayoral election: What's the role and who is running?

Voters from South Yorkshire's four council areas of Sheffield, Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster elect the mayor

People in South Yorkshire will vote in the region's mayoral election on 2 May.

Residents of the region's four council areas will go to the polls for the second time in two years after new powers were added to the role.

The mayor will take on the duties of the police and crime commissioner alongside existing responsibilities such as transport and regeneration.

What is the South Yorkshire mayoral election?

South Yorkshire's mayor represents about 1.4m people in Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield.

The leaders of those four council areas all sit on the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), which makes collective decisions on certain issues which span their boundaries, such as economic development, public transport and the environment.

The mayor is essentially the publicly elected chair of the combined authority.

Anyone who lives in one of the four council areas and is registered to vote is eligible to take part in the election.

The role is currently held by Labour's Oliver Coppard, who was elected to succeed Barnsley Central MP Dan Jarvis as mayor in 2022.

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What powers does the mayor have?

The mayor's responsibilities cover areas which have been devolved from central government.

These include public transport, infrastructure, economic development, business, skills and regeneration.

The mayor has oversight of the region's public transport services

South Yorkshire's mayor will also take on the duties of the outgoing police and crime commissioner (PCC), who holds South Yorkshire Police to account.

A public consultation was held on the move in January after Mr Coppard asked the government to transfer the PCC's powers to the mayoralty when current commissioner Alan Billings stepped down in May.

The mayor also acts as a political figurehead who lobbies central government for funding for the region.

What happened in the last election?

The last election in May 2022 used a "supplementary vote" system, in which voters were asked to choose their first and second preference of candidate.

Mr Coppard won 43% of first-preference votes.

Since no candidate secured 50% of ballot papers, the top two candidates proceeded to the second round, in which Mr Coppard beat second-placed Conservative Clive Watkinson with 71% of the vote.

A total of 264,720 - just over 26% of the electorate - took part in the 2022 election.

Oliver Coppard is the current South Yorkshire Mayor

South Yorkshire's mayor is elected for a four-year term.

But the scheduled 2026 election was brought forward due to the transfer of South Yorkshire's PCC powers, which means the mayor's role is considered a new position.

Since last year, mayoral elections no longer use the supplementary vote system. The May 2024 vote will be run on the "first-past-the-post" system used in council and general elections. This means the candidate with the most votes wins.

Who is standing this time?

David Bettney - Social Democratic Party

Douglas Johnson - Green Party

Hannah Kitching - Liberal Democrats

Nick Allen - Conservative Party

Oliver Coppard - Labour Party

When and how do I vote?

The last day to register to vote in the election is Tuesday 16 April. Applications to vote by post must be submitted by 17:00 BST the following day.

People who do not have photo ID must apply for a Voter Authority Certificate by 17:00 BST on April 24.

Polling stations will be open from 07:00 BST until 22:00 BST on Thursday 2 May.

Ballots will be counted on the morning of Saturday 4 May with the result expected to be declared early that afternoon at Sheffield Town Hall.

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