Pink wheelbarrows in Tamworthpublished at 01:18 British Summer Time
Freya Scott-Turner
Reporting from Tamworth
I’m at a secondary school in Tamworth, where one of the counts for the Staffordshire County Council elections is taking place. Five seats are being elected here, out of 62 across the council area.
The Rawlett School has hosted dozens of election counts over the years, and it’s developed some quirky traditions along the way.
Bright pink wheelbarrows play a pivotal role. The polling station officers unload the full ballot boxes in the car park. They’re then wheeled into the sports hall in these stylish vehicles.
Why?
“It’s just the quickest way to get them in,” says Stephen Gabriel, deputy returning officer at Tamworth Borough Council. Where the wheelbarrows came from, and why they’re bright pink, no one quite knows.
Counting has just started here, and this count uses brightly coloured clothes pegs to tally up the votes.
A bit like a board game, each party gets a colour. Counters are secured into tens with a paperclip, then a bundle of 100 votes is secured with one peg.
We’re not expecting full results for Staffordshire County Council until Friday afternoon.
