Voters across Oxfordshire are preparing to have their say in a bumper set of local elections.
Cherwell District Council elects by thirds, so has elections three out of every four years, meaning 16 seats out of 48 will be up for election on 6 May. One third of parishes in Cherwell have scheduled elections and, on top of that, county council elections and the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner election are taking place on the same day. Voters in Weston-on-the-Green will also be asked to vote in a Neighbourhood Plan Referendum.
On 29 March, the Returning Officer published Notices of Election for all polls, which started the formal election timetable.
Yvonne Rees, Returning Officer for Cherwell District Council, Oxfordshire County Council, Cherwell parishes and for the Thames Valley Police Area, said: “Local councillors are there to help make sure residents’ voices are heard. It is their job to take decisions on the local government services that support people’s everyday lives, including highways maintenance, housing, social care, waste collection and public play areas.
“I want to make sure all eligible electors can have their say. There will be COVID-secure measures at polling stations, but we are also asking everyone to consider whether they would rather use a postal or proxy vote this year.
“Now is also the time to start thinking about who you want as your next police and crime commissioner. It will be their job to oversee how crime is tackled across the Thames Valley Police area. It is the third time this election has been held, and I am keen to raise awareness of how important it is.”
All 63 divisions at Oxfordshire County Council will be up for election on polling day.
Get ready to vote
The voter registration deadline for both local and PCC elections is 11:59pm on Monday 19 April.
Tuesday April 20 (no later than 5pm) is the deadline for receiving new postal vote applications or amending or cancelling existing postal votes for all these elections.
Registering to vote only takes five minutes at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
Residents can find out more about postal and proxy votes, and how to apply by visiting: www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/how-cast-your-vote
Local council election results will be announced on Sunday 9 May, and the PCC election result on Monday 10 May.