Published: Monday 08th March 2021 | 10.17am
Cannock Chase Council officers are busy preparing for the elections on Thursday 6 May.
Elections will be held across 13 Cannock Chase District Council wards, 6 Staffordshire County Council divisions (7 seats), and for the Staffordshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. There is also a by-election for a seat on Rugeley Town Council.
Candidates and their agents for the District and County Council elections are being invited to a virtual briefing via Zoom on Tuesday 16 March at 5pm.
Safety will be paramount throughout the election period.
The preparations come as election candidates and their campaign supporters are permitted to deliver election leaflets and make door to door visits from today (8 March), in line with Government guidance around COVID-19 safety.
The guidance states that the number of campaigners operating together should be kept to an absolute minimum and at least 2 metres distance should be maintained between them at all times. Campaigners are not allowed to enter private homes but may speak to electors on their doorsteps, again maintaining at least 2 metres distance at all times.
Campaigners should only enter premises, such as a shared hallway in a block of flats, where absolutely necessary to reach individual homes served by communal areas.
Campaigners are asked to wear face coverings and sanitise hands between visiting different households. Hustings and public meetings must take place remotely.
Meanwhile, staff and voters in polling stations will be required to wear face coverings, maintain social distancing and adhere to all other Covid-secure requirements. Voters are encouraged to bring their own pen or pencil.
Voters may prefer to cast their vote by post. Further information can be found on the Council’s website and from the Government website gov.uk.
The Electoral Commission will also be running a national campaign on postal voting. The Council is also writing to local clinically extremely vulnerable people about how to vote by post.
Meanwhile, new Government legislation will allow for an emergency proxy vote to be made up to 5pm on polling day.
To find out more about the elections in Cannock Chase District go to www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/council/elections-voting/elections