Town, parish and district council elections in Tendring have been formally declared. Election day is May 4.
Brightlingsea has three representatives on Tendring District Council (TDC) – Jayne Chapman, Graham Steady and Mick Barry, all Independents. Brightlingsea Info understands that all are standing again, and will face a contest from others wishing to represent the town.
Brightlingsea Town Council has co-opted members in recent years as not there were not enough candidates for an election. The council has been running open events to seek new candidates in recent months, but it’s not known as yet if there will be an election for local members.
The deadline for anyone seeking to be a district or town councillor for the next four years is 4pm on Tuesday, 4 April and candidates will be announced soon afterwards. Advice for potential candidates can be found on the TDC website at www.tendringdc.gov.uk/elections
Anyone wishing to vote must be on the electoral register. The deadline for voter registration is Monday, April 17 – register at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote or call the TDC Electoral Services team on 01255 686575.
For the first time, voters will need ID to cast their ballot following government legislation aimed at tackling voter fraud. More details can be found in our article here and at www.tendringdc.gov.uk/council/elections-and-voting/voter-id.
Residents who want to vote by post, rather than at a polling station, are being encouraged to apply early, with the deadline for applications 5pm on Tuesday, 18 April. Applications for proxy votes, for people who will be away on polling day or have accessibility issues, must be made by 5pm on Tuesday, 25 April. If something happens after then you may be able to get an emergency proxy vote up until 5pm on 4 May itself.
Poll cards will be issued soon to voters already registered with details of how and where to vote – for those who vote at a polling station, poll cards will look different this year, contained within an openable packet instead of ‘postcard-style’. There is no change to poll cards for postal voters.
Polling stations will be open from 7am until 10pm on Thursday, 4 May. Anyone who may need additional to help to vote is encouraged to contact the council’s Election Service for assistance.
Counting of the district council votes will take place overnight on Thursday, 4 May, with town and parish council ballots being counted and results declared from 1pm on Friday, 5 May.
