Nominations open for Penrith Town Council by-elections

Nominations have opened for by-elections to fill councillor vacancies in two wards of Penrith Town Council following resignations.

Vacancies have arisen in the Penrith South and Penrith West wards after Danny Smith and Hilary Snell resigned.

The Notices of Election were published today, Thursday October 23 and the deadline for candidates is 4pm on Friday October 31.

If there is more than one candidate in each ward, by-elections will be held on Thursday November 27.

People currently living in the Penrith South or Penrith West wards and already registered to vote do not need to register their details again.

People who have moved into, or changed address within the Penrith South or Penrith West wards since filling out a voter registration form will need to reregister you details before the midnight deadline on Tuesday November 11 to be eligible to vote in the by-election.

To register to vote, visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote, or Westmorland and Furness Council can send you a registration form in the post.

Anyone interested in standing, can contact the election teams by email at [email protected].

Nomination papers can also be obtained from the offices of the Returning Officer at Voreda House, Portland Place, Penrith, CA11 7BF.

Postal voting

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 at a designated council office 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.

People handing in postal votes are now limited to handing in no more than five postal votes for other electors, plus their own postal vote for each election.

A postal vote return form, which includes some personal information – name and address – will need also to be completed when handing in a postal vote. This form requires the completion of a declaration.

Electors wishing to hand their postal vote in at a polling station must also complete a postal vote return form for the postal vote to be accepted.

Postal votes must not be put through council office letterboxes or via internal council mailboxes.

Postal votes may be rejected if people don’t follow these rules when handing in postal votes. This means they will not be counted in the election.

More information on how to vote by post is available at www.gov.uk/how-to-vote/postal-voting

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 19 November.

Applications for a Voter Authority Certificate can be made online at www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate