Final preparations underway in Renfrewshire for UK Parliamentary election

Final preparations are underway in Renfrewshire as voters, election officials and candidates get ready for Thursday’s UK Parliamentary election.

A total of 128,780 people are eligible to vote in one of two constituencies – Paisley and Renfrewshire North, and Paisley and Renfrewshire South – which each elect one MP under the first-past-the-post voting method.

The Paisley and Renfrewshire North constituency has 67,436 electors, of whom 13,578 have applied for postal votes.

Paisley and Renfrewshire South has an electorate of 61,344 of whom 13,404 applied for postal votes.

Election day begins at 7am when 61 polling places containing 160 polling stations open.  Voting continues until 10pm.

The polling places include schools, community centres, churches, a bowling club, a hotel, sports pavilion, Tweedie Hall in Linwood and Renfrew Town Hall.

Shortly after 10pm the focus of attention will switch to the Lagoon Leisure Centre where approximately 280 staff will be working at the count.

61 vans will deliver 160 ballot boxes to the venue where the votes cast at polling stations will be counted alongside postal votes.

Returning Officer Sandra Black, Chief Executive of Renfrewshire Council, will announce the results in the early hours of Friday morning.

The election count can be followed on Twitter @RenCouncilNews and the results will be published on www.renfrewshire.gov.uk

The candidates standing in the election are:

Paisley and Renfrewshire North constituency:
John Robert Boyd, Scottish Liberal Democrats
David John Gardiner, Scottish Conservative and Unionist
Gavin Andrew Stuart Newlands, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Alison Suzanne Watt Taylor, Scottish Labour Party

Paisley and Renfrewshire South constituency:
Mhairi Black, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Alison Jean Dowling, Scottish Labour Party
Paul Mack, Independent
Eileen McCartin, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Amy Louise Thomson, Scottish Conservative and Unionist