Published: Monday 01st February 2016 | 9.32am
On Thursday 5th May 2016 voters in Cannock Chase will go to the polls for local government elections and the election of a Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Staffordshire.
Local government elections select councillors who are responsible for making decisions on running services in the local area. This includes parks, leisure, housing, planning, public safety, and waste management. The Police and Crime Commissioner oversees the running of local police forces, including appointing the Chief Constable, setting the local budget and deciding what the priorities should be for the police in their area.
Tony McGovern, Electoral Registration Officer for Cannock Chase, said: “Only people who are registered can take part in May’s elections. People living in Cannock Chase will need to register to make sure that they don’t miss out on having their say on polling day.
Registering is easy and you can apply online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote in just a few minutes. You will need your date of birth and national insurance number.”
Ben Brook, Head of English regions at the Electoral Commission, said: “Anyone not yet registered to vote should do so as soon as possible so they will be able to have their say on issues that directly affect their day-to-day lives. It’s important that anyone who is eligible to be on the register, but has not yet registered, does so. The deadline to register to vote is Monday 18th April 2016.”
Those who would prefer can still apply using a paper form. The form can be downloaded from the registration site or alternatively be requested from the Council’s electoral services team. Contact electoral services on 01543 464754 and return it by the 18th April registration deadline.
Whichever way you choose to register, please don’t leave it to the last minute, as it takes a few days for applications to be processed and any delays caused by, for example, incomplete information, could mean missing the deadline.