Elections are weeks away – make sure you’re ready

There is now less than a week for candidates to be nominated to stand in the upcoming local unitary and parish elections.

Anyone wishing to stand for election on 4th May has to submit their nomination application to Wiltshire Council by 4pm next Tuesday, 4th April.

To help give prospective candidates an idea of what it takes to be a councillor and what sort of responsibilities they will have, a short video with interviews with current councillors  is online at www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bLmhTfwDP0

Carlton Brand, Wiltshire’s returning officer for local elections and Wiltshire Council corporate director said, “In Wiltshire we want the democratic system to be as strong as possible and we hope to have many candidates putting themselves forward for people to consider.

“With its rate of change and fast pace, there’s no more exciting time to be working in local government.”

Other keys dates for people to be aware of are:

• Publication of persons nominated – 4pm on 5 April

• Last day to register to vote – 13th April

• Deadline for receipt of new postal vote applications – 18th April

• Deadline for receipt of proxy vote applications – 5pm on 25th April

• Day of poll – 7am to 10pm on 4th May

• Verification of ballots, counting and declaration of results – 5th May

With all 98 unitary seats up for election, as well all parish and town councils, the election in Wiltshire will be one of the biggest in the country.

For more information about local elections, including how to register as a candidate, people should visit www.wiltshire.gov.uk/elections

Those not already registered to vote, should visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. It only takes five minutes.

To see the results of the recent community governance review and any boundary changes in Wiltshire, people should visit www.wiltshire.gov.uk/communitygovernancereview.