General Election 2019: The count begins for Sleaford and North Hykeham constituency

Ballot papers are arriving from polling stations across the Sleaford and North Hykeham constituency, joining the postal votes that people began counting at 10pm.

Tonight's count is taking place at the One NK leisure centre in North Hykeham, where the result is expected at about 4am.

The candidates are Caroline Coram (Independent), Oliver Craven (Liberal Democrats), Linda Edwards-Shea (Labour Party), Caroline Johnson (Conservative Party), Marianne Overton (Lincolnshire Independents), Simon Tooke (Green Party)

Only one of them will attend Parliament on Tuesday next week (December 17) when MPs are expected to attend to elect the Speaker of the House of Commons and be 'sworn in' - swearing their allegiance to the Crown or making an solemn affirmation.

The electorate at this election in the Sleaford and North Hykeham constituency numbers 94,761 voters with 13,541 postal voters.

The Sleaford & North Hykeham Parliamentary Constituency includes all of North Kesteven District – except for Skellingthorpe, Bracebridge Heath and the uphill part of Waddington where votes are cast for the Lincoln Constituency – and all of South Kesteven District Council’s Loveden Heath, Peascliff & Ridgeway and Viking wards, plus parts of the Arnoldfield, Belvoir and St Wulfram's wards.

It is the fifth largest constituency in the country. There are 116 polling stations.

At the last election in 2017, the electorate was 90,927 with 13,781 postal voters.

The result of the 2017 election: