By Mia Armitage and Hans Lovejoy
With more than 30 candidates announced so far for this year’s local government elections in the Byron Shire, the council’s nine seats are the most hotly contested on the Northern Rivers.
Campaigns started early compared to previous election years, after a twelve-month delay due to the pandemic.
One of the most noticeable features of the 2021 Byron Shire Council elections has been the number of independents wanting to win power.
There were already six independent tickets announced by late July, including representation from four existing councillors, one of whom quit The Greens (Mayor Michael Lyon) to lead his own team.