Carlisle and West Cumbria residents reminded to register to vote

On Thursday 5 May people in the Allerdale, Carlisle and Copeland areas will have their say on who represents them on the new Cumberland Council, as well as on any other local and parish councils where there is a vacancy.

In order to vote in May, residents must be on the electoral register. With the deadline to register to vote fast approaching, the local councils are urging people who are not registered at their current address to make sure they are registered in time.

The deadline to register to vote is midnight on Thursday 14 April. It takes just five minutes to apply online at gov.uk/register-to-vote. This year residents will be voting to select councillors, who represent their local area and residents, and contribute to the development of policies in areas such as transport, social care and housing on the new Cumberland Council as well as any other local councils where there is a vacancy.

Andrew Seekings Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) for Allerdale Borough Council who is acting as the Returning Officer for the Cumberland Council elections, said: “Time is running out to make sure you can take part in these elections. They are an important opportunity to make your voice heard and have a say on who represents you on issues that directly affect day-to-day life in their local area. If you’re not registered by 14 April, you won’t be able to vote.”

Jason Gooding Carlisle City Council’s chief executive is the Electoral Registration Officer for the Carlisle City Council area, with Copeland Borough Council’s chief executive Pat Graham acting as the ERO for the Copeland area.

Ailsa Irvine, Director of Electoral Administration and Guidance at the Electoral Commission, said: “You can’t have your say in these elections unless you are registered to vote. Registering is easy and only takes five minutes.

“If you have recently turned 18 or moved home, it is particularly important to make sure you are correctly registered to vote.

“If you were registered to vote in the last election and your details have not changed, you don’t need to take any action. If in doubt, you can check with your local authority.”

People can choose to vote in a number of ways – in person, by post or by appointing someone they trust to vote in their place, known as a proxy vote.

The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5pm on 19 April, and for a proxy vote the deadline is 5pm on 26 April.

For information on elections in their area, how to register to vote, or how to apply to vote by post or by proxy, voters can visit www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voter. This page will continue to be updated ahead of the polls.

For more information contact the Communications and Marketing team at Allerdale Borough Council on corp.comms@allerdale.gov.uk