Notices of Election for polls on 2 May have been published this week.
If contested, voters in the Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness areas will go to the polls to elect a Cumbria Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC).
Elections for some parish and town councils in the Cumberland Council area are also due to take place on this date.
Cumberland Council is the lead authority for the Cumbria PFCC elections which are being arranged jointly with Westmorland and Furness Council.
Electors should contact the relevant elections team at Cumberland Council or Westmorland and Furness Council with any enquiries such as in relation to postal and proxy votes and Voter Authority Certificates.
Key dates and information for PFCC elections:
Anyone wishing to stand in the PFCC elections, can obtain nomination papers from the office of the Police Area Returning Officer, Allerdale House, New Bridge Road, Workington CA14 3YJ. Completed forms must be returned to this address by 4pm on Friday 5 April 2024. Candidates can also contact the elections team by email at elections@cumberland.gov.uk .
More details on the nomination process can be found on the Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council websites.
Local town and parish council elections in the Cumberland Council area
Parish Council elections are also taking place in some areas, as well as a parish by-election for Silloth on Solway Town Council. Those parishes with scheduled elections are:
- Brampton Parish Council
- Carlatton Parish Council
- Castle Carrock Parish Council
- Cumrew Parish Council
- Cumwhitton Parish Council
- Hayton Parish Council
- Wetheral Parish Council
Anyone interested in standing, can contact the elections team by email at elections@cumberland.gov.uk or alternatively contact the relevant parish clerk.
Nomination papers may be obtained from the offices of the Returning Officer, Cumberland Council, Civic Centre, Rickergate, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 8QG and must be returned before 4pm on Friday 5 April 2024.
More details, including the number of seats available on each council, can be found on the Cumberland Council website.
If contested elections for town and parish council elections will be held on 2 May.
Key dates and information for electors for the elections on 2 May 2024
Applications to register to vote must reach the relevant Electoral Registration Officer by 12midnight on Tuesday 16 April 2024. Applications can be made online.
Applications, amendments or cancellations of postal votes must reach the relevant Electoral Registration Officer by 5pm on Wednesday 17 April 2024. 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 Local 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's 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 24 April 2024. Applications for a Voter Authority Certificate can be made online.
Applications to vote by proxy at these elections must reach the relevant Electoral Registration Officer by 5pm on Wednesday 24 April 2024.
Applications to vote by emergency proxy at these elections must reach the relevant Electoral Registration Officer by 5pm on Thursday 2nd May 2024.
More information on upcoming elections in Cumbria can be found on the council's websites.
General contact details for Cumberland Council are: Elections Team, Allerdale House, New Bridge Road, Workington, CA14 3YJ; email: elections@cumberland.gov.uk; telephone 0300 373 3730
General contact details for Westmorland and Furness Council are: Elections Team, South Lakeland House, Lowther Street, Kendal, LA9 4DQ.; email elections3@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk; telephone 0300 373 3300.