Voters in the Westmorland and Furness and Cumberland Council areas will go to the polls to elect a Cumbria Police Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC).
A by election will also be held in the Grange and Cartmel ward of Westmorland and Furness Council.
Elections for some parish and town councils in the Westmorland and Furness 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 related 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 are available on the Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council website.
Local Town and Parish Council elections in the Westmorland and Furness Council area.
Town and Parish Council elections are also taking place in some areas. Those parishes with scheduled elections are:
- Blawith & Subberthwaite Parish Council
- Broughton East Parish Council
- Burton-in-Kendal Parish Council
- Cartmel Fell Parish Council
- Claife Parish Council
- Lower Ward
- Upper Ward
- Central Ward
- East Ward
- West Ward
- Colton Parish Council
- Central Ward
- East Ward
- West Ward
- Coniston Parish Council
- Crook Parish Council
- Crosthwaite & Lyth Parish Council
- Haverthwaite Parish Council
- Hawkshead Parish Council
- Fieldhead Ward
- Hawkshead Ward
- Helsington Parish Council
- Heversham Parish Council
- Holme Parish Council
- Levens Parish Council
- Lindale and Newton-in-Cartmel Parish Council
- High Newton Ward
- Lindale Ward
- Lowick Parish Council
- Milnthorpe Parish Council
- Preston Richard Parish Council
- Satterthwaite Parish Council
- Sedgwick Parish Council
- Stainton Parish Council
- Staveley-in-Cartmel Parish Council
- Staveley-with-Ings Parish Council
- Hughill Ward
- Nether Staveley
- Over Steveley
- Torver Parish Council
- Ulverston Town Council
- Central Ward
- East Ward
- North Ward
- South Ward
- Town Ward
- West Ward
- Witherslack, Meathop & Ulpha Parish Council
- Meathop & Ulpha Ward
- Witherslack Ward
Anyone interested in standing, can contact the elections team by email at elections3@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk or alternatively contact the relevant Parish Clerk.
Nomination papers may be obtained from the offices of the Returning Officer, South Lakeland House, Lowther Street, Kendal, LA9 4DQ and must be returned before 4pm on Friday 5 April 2024.
More details, including the number of seats available on each council are available on the Westmorland and Furness Council website.
If contested, elections for town and parish council elections will be held on 2 May 2024.
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 at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.
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 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 www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate
Applications to vote by proxy at this election must reach the relevant Electoral Registration Officer by 5pm on Wednesday 24 April 2024.
Applications to vote by emergency proxy at this election must reach the relevant Electoral Registration Officer by 5pm on Thursday 2nd May 2024.
More information on these elections is available at www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk