Nominations have opened for the Kirkby Stephen and Tebay ward at Westmorland and Furness Council, recently vacated by the retirement of Cllr Phil Dew.
The Notice of Election was published on Thursday 26 September, allowing candidates’ time to complete their nomination papers before the deadline of 4pm on Friday 4 October. Assuming there is more than one candidate, a by-election for the Kirkby Stephen and Tebay ward will be held on Thursday 31 October.
If you currently live in the Kirkby Stephen and Tebay ward and are registered to vote then you do not need to register your details again. Poll cards will be sent to registered voters around Thursday 26 October.
If you have moved into, or changed address within the Kirkby Stephen and Tebay ward since responding to the voter registration form, you will need to re-register you details before the 15 October deadline to be eligible to vote in the by-election.
The easiest way to register to vote is online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote, or Westmorland and Furness Council can send you information explaining how to do this in the post. Anyone interested in standing, can contact the elections team by email at elections2@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk
Nomination papers can be obtained from the offices of the Returning Officer, Voreda House, Portland Place, Penrith CA11 7BF and must be returned before 4pm on Friday 4 October.
The rules for postal voting have now changed and postal voters are encouraged to use the Royal Mail envelope provided with the postal vote pack, wherever possible. Anyone returning a postal vote by hand to the Returning Officer must complete a postal vote return form. A postal vote returned by hand that is not accompanied by a postal vote return form will be rejected.
There are also new limits on the number of postal votes that can be handed in by one person. Electors who wish to hand their postal vote in at the polling stations or designated council offices must complete a postal vote return form for the postal vote to be accepted. Postal votes should not be put through the council letter boxes, or via internal council mail boxes as these will have to be rejected.
Anyone voting in person will have to show a form of photo ID. Anyone without an eligible form of ID can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate (VAC). Applications for a VAC or an Anonymous Elector’s Document valid for these elections must reach the relevant Electoral Registration Officer by 5pm on Wednesday 23 October.
Applications for a Voter Authority Certificate can be made online www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate
- The deadline to register to vote in the by-election is midnight on Tuesday 15 October.
- The postal vote application deadline is 5pm on Wednesday 16 October.
- The deadline for proxy vote applications is 5pm on Wednesday 23 October.
- The deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate is 5pm on Wednesday 23 October.
For more information, visit the Westmorland and Furness Council website at www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/voting-and-elections
