BELLINGEN Independent Steve Allan is still leading the Bellingen Shire Mayoral election race, with a solid 59% (4,901) of the first preference vote count as of Monday 13 December.

In second place in the Mayoral vote count is current Bellingen Shire Mayor Dominic King with 28% (2,383 votes), and in third place is Bellingen Shire Labor’s Andrew Woodward with 12% (1,005 votes) of the vote count.

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A total of 8,514 votes, both Formal and Informal/Other votes, had been counted as of Monday out of 10,286 residential and non-residential voters enrolled in the Bellingen Shire local government area.

The individual councillor vote for the six councillors to take office on the new Council team also sees Steve Allan with a distinct lead with 4.17% (333 votes) of first preference votes as of Monday 13 December, followed again by Dominic King with 3.03% (242 votes).

In third place in the councillor vote is Stephen Glyde with 1.70% (136 votes), followed by Independent Joanne Cook with 1.52% (121 votes), then Independent Steve Klipin with 1.17% (93 votes), followed by Bellingen Shire Labor’s Andrew Woodward with 1.07% (85 votes), and in the final councillor spot as of Monday was Independent Vanessa Machon with 0.68% (54 votes).

One mayor and six councillors will be elected onto the new Council team.

Election votes will continue to be counted until the postal votes are finalised at 6pm on Friday 17 December, then voter preferences will be distributed.

Final results from the Bellingen Shire local government election are expected to be announced on Monday 20 December.

By Emma DARBIN