WITH district level and European Parliament elections taking place on Thursday, May 22, Stroud District Council (SDC) is urging residents to make sure that they are ready to cast their votes.

While polling cards have been sent to almost 90,000 of the district’s registered voters recently, the council is keen to ensure that anyone entitled to vote does not miss out.

SDC chief executive and returning officer for the local elections and European Parliament elections, David Hagg, said: “If you have just moved into the district or moved house within the district, please do remember to register. It is not too late.”

The deadline for registering to vote is Tuesday, May 6.

Residents can request a registration form by calling the SDC elections office on 01453 754886 or by printing off a registration form at www.stroud.gov.uk/elections

The deadline for postal vote applications, or to amend a postal vote, is 5pm on Wednesday, May 7, with postal voting papers sent out to everyone who has requested this option the next day.

The deadline to apply for a proxy vote, having someone place a vote on your behalf, is a week later, on 5pm Wednesday, May 14.

Forms can be downloaded from www.stroud.gov.uk/elections or be obtained by calling the elections office.

You cannot vote if you are not registered, and you may not be automatically registered if you pay council tax.

Anyone who is unsure if they are registered to vote should call the elections team on 01453 754886 or email elections@stroud.gov.uk

Eighteen district council seats will be contested this year, as well as seats in some parish and town councils.

The wards in the Gazette’s circulation include Berkeley, Cam East, Cam West, Coaley and Uley, Dursley, Severn, Vale and Wotton-under-Edge.

Vacant seats on town and parish level in the area include Berkeley, Coaley, Frampton-on-Severn, Ham and Stone, Nympsfield, Slimbridge, Stinchcombe and Uley.

To keep people informed, the Gazette will be publishing the manifestos of the parties contesting for the south west region in the European elections on Thursday, May 8, with a round-up of the parties' manifestos for the district council elections coming out on our May 15 issue.