LOCAL elections look set to go ahead in May – but voters will have to bring their own pencil to mark their ballot paper under new coronavirus safety rules.

There had been fears that the pandemic would lead to the polls being postponed again, but they are reportedly set to take place as planned.

However, voters will have to wear masks inside polling stations, and will have to bring their own pen or pencil to mark their ballot, according to the BBC.

An announcement is expected to be made by the Government later today.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s Returning Officer Rebecca Emmett said: “The elections this year on Thursday 6 May will see residents in Basingstoke and Deane voting on who will represent them on the borough council, county council, possibly their parish council and as Police and Crime Commissioner.

“Our elections will be run in accordance with the electoral commission’s guidance and work began at the council last year to prepare for running a safe election in May. This includes putting arrangements in place to help keep staff and voters safe at our polling stations and counts. We also want to remind residents that they have the option to vote by post or proxy, applying to do this is very simple and we would encourage them to do this early. For more information and to apply for a postal or a proxy vote visit www.basingstoke.gov.uk/postal-proxy-voting  or call 01256 844844.”

A bumper set of elections are due to be held across Great Britain on “Super Thursday” – May 6 – including a number of contests postponed from 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In London, there will be elections for the mayor and assembly, which were originally due to take place last year.

And across the rest of England, voters will be choosing a mixture of councillors, local mayors, regional mayors and police commissioners.

Voters in Scotland and Wales will be choosing new parliaments – though a decision on whether these will go ahead will be made by their respective governments.

The scale of “Super Thursday” means that every voter in Great Britain will be able to take part in at least one type of poll, making it the biggest event of its kind outside a general election.

It will also be the first big electoral test for Sir Keir Starmer since he became Labour leader in April 2020, and for Prime Minister Boris Johnson since his general election victory in December 2019.