What does the Mayor of Doncaster do?

Voters across Doncaster will head to the polls on 1 May to cast their ballots in three separate elections.

As well as all-out elections for Doncaster Council and elections for parish and town councils, they will also be asked to vote for a directly-elected mayor.

But in a city with three mayors - the Lord Mayor, the directly-elected Mayor and the South Yorkshire Mayor - what does the role involve?

What does Doncaster's directly-elected mayor do?

The mayor has exactly the same powers as a council leader but they are elected by voters rather than councillors.

The idea is to make the holder more accountable and the decisions they make on policy and services more transparent.

They oversee all council services, such as housing, planning, bin collections, pot holes and social care.

They serve for four years and earn just over £33,000, which is made up of a basic £13,000 councillor allowance plus another £19,824 special responsibility allowance.

Are they also the South Yorkshire Mayor?

No, that is Oliver Coppard. As Mayor of South Yorkshire, he's in charge planning, economic investment, health, crime, education and jobs across the region.

And it can be even more confusing. There is also a civic Mayor which is not a political role.

The civic Mayor wears ceremonial robes, a hat and chains and represents Doncaster Council at public events but has no power.

Is the Doncaster Mayor a new position?

The city has had a Mayor since 2002.

A referendum was held in 2012 asking if people wanted to keep the job, with 62% of people voting to the keep the system, although turnout was only 30%.

The first Mayor was Martin Winter, who started off as Labour but then six years into the role became an Independent.

He was followed by Peter Davies, who was originally an English Democrat but again switched to being an Independent.

Labour's Ros Jones has held the position since 2013.

This year 12 candidates have put their name in the hat, a full list of those vying for the role can be found here.

What about the council elections?

It's an all-out election, which means there are 55 councillors across 21 wards up for election.

In Doncaster, council elections are held every four years.

Councillors represent their local community, raise issues and vote on council policy.

They earn a basic allowance of £13,215, but get extra pay for special responsibilities and can claim expenses.

The council is currently made up of 42 Labour councillors, 11 Conservatives, two Mexborough First councillors and one Edlington and Warmsworth First representative.

How can I vote in the Doncaster elections and when are the results?

Polling day is Thursday 1 May.

Polling stations will be open between 07:00 and 22:00 BST.

You will need photo ID to vote in person.

The Mayoral count takes place overnight, so the result should be known by Friday morning.

The council count takes place during the Friday, with results expected from the afternoon onwards.

The town and parish ballot papers will be counted on Saturday morning, with results announced later that day.

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