Nominations open for Grange and Cartmel council by-election

The Grange and Cartmel ward at Westmorland and Furness Council is seeking a new representative following the retirement of Councillor Sue Sanderson.

The Notice of Election was published on Thursday, September 12, giving candidates until Friday, September 20, to submit their nomination papers.

If more than one candidate stands, a by-election will be held on Thursday, October 17.

Residents of the Grange and Cartmel ward who are already registered to vote do not need to take any action and will receive poll cards around Thursday, October 12.

However, those who have moved into or changed address within the ward since responding to the voter registration form must re-register by October 1 to be eligible to vote in the by-election.

Registration can be done online at gov. uk/register-to-vote, or Westmorland and Furness Council can provide information by post.

Nomination papers can be collected from the Returning Officer’s office at South Lakeland House, Lowther Street, Kendal, LA9 4DQ, and must be submitted by 4pm on Friday, September 20.

Changes to postal voting rules mean postal voters are encouraged to use the Royal Mail envelope provided with the postal vote pack.

Any postal vote returned by hand to the Local Returning Officer must be accompanied by a postal vote return form, or it will be rejected.

There are also new limits on the number of postal votes that can be handed in by one person.

Electors wishing to hand in their postal vote at polling stations or designated council offices must complete a postal vote return form for it to be accepted.

Postal votes should not be put through the council letterboxes or via internal council mailboxes, as these will be rejected.

Voters attending in person will need 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, October 9.

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

The deadline to register to vote in the by-election is midnight on Tuesday, October 1.

The postal vote application deadline is 5pm on Wednesday, October 2.

The deadline for proxy vote applications is 5pm on Wednesday, October 9.

The deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate is 5pm on Wednesday, October 9.

For more information, visit the Westmorland and Furness Council website.