ALCOHOL and politics are two things that seem to have gone hand-in-hand in recent times, but this polling day the two will join forces in a different way.
The Unicorn Inn in Pontypool will become the first pub in Torfaen to be used as a polling station in Thursday’s council elections.
May 5 will see voters head to the voting booths to elect the 40 county borough councillors who will represent them in Torfaen.
And residents in the Pontypool Fawr ward – which includes more than 550 people – will be able to cast their vote at their local pub.
READ MORE: These are all the candidates standing in Torfaen in May's council election.
And if anyone wants to celebrate casting their vote, the pub will be serving food and drink as normal alongside its election duties. However 16 and 17-year-olds, who will be voting in Wales for the first time, will have to opt for a non-alcoholic beverage.
Porscha Hilton, landlady at the Unicorn, said: "We are delighted to be the very first pub in Torfaen to be hosting the polling station, we feel it's a great thing to offer our community.
"We have lots of onsite parking and have recently refurbished the garden area to improve access and make it easier for people with disabilities to turn up and cast their vote.
"As well as having the polling station running we will be operating our business as normal, serving food and drinks all day.”
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Torfaen council elections manager Caroline Genever-Jones said: “Election day will mark an historic occasion for voters here in Torfaen and across Wales, with it being the first time anyone over the age of 16 or qualifying foreign nationals, can vote in local council elections.
"To add to that, we're also delighted to be bringing our first pub onboard as a polling station, to which we hope may draw in more voters due to its location and appeal.
"For postal voters that might have missed the post, they are still able to drop off their postal ballot paper at any polling station across the borough before 10pm tomorrow evening."
Polling opens from 7am on Thursday, May 5 and will close at 10pm.
Torfaen residents can find out more information about the election, including candidates and polling station locations, by visiting the council’s website at torfaen.gov.uk
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