Dear town / parish council

As you are aware, a general election will be held on Thursday 4 July 2024. Below is some important information that I hope will be of interest to you and of use to residents in your area.

This information can also be found on the council’s website, where you can also find and download/print posters and social media graphics to help share this information. Go to https://www.shropshire.gov.uk/elections-and-electoral-registration/voting-and-elections/general-election-4-july-2024/

If you have any questions please email the Shropshire Council elections team – elections@shropshire.gov.uk

Boundary changes

In the Shropshire Council area voters will be voting to elect an MP for the following constituencies: North Shropshire; Shrewsbury; South Shropshire; The Wrekin.

Due to boundary changes two constituencies in the Shropshire Council area now have new names, and some people will vote in a different constituency in this election.

The Shrewsbury & Atcham constituency is now called Shrewsbury; the Ludlow constituency is now called South Shropshire.

People living in the Cheswardine and Hodnet electoral divisions move from the North Shropshire constituency to The Wrekin constituency.

People living in the Severn Valley and Burnell electoral divisions move from Shrewsbury constituency to South Shropshire constituency.

A map showing the new constituencies can be found here - https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/boundary-review-2023-which-seats-will-change/

Note: Telford and Wrekin Council is responsible for The Wrekin constituency.

Polling stations

As always, people will be able to find their polling station on their poll card. A list of polling stations will also be published on the above webpage after Friday 7 June.

Candidates

A list of candidates – the statement of persons nominated - for the four  constituencies will be added to the council website before 5pm on Friday 8 June.

Registering to vote

To vote in this election people must be registered to vote. The deadline for registering to vote is midnight on Tuesday 18 June. To register go to www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Voter ID

To vote at a polling station people will need an accepted form of photo ID. To see what ID is accepted – and to apply for free ID (known as a Voter Authority Certificate or VAC) visit the Electoral Commission website.

The deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate (VAC) is 5pm on Tuesday 26 June, but we encourage people to apply as soon as they can. Note: If someone already have a VAC they don’t need to apply for a new one.

Voters will need to show original documents at the polling station; copies or duplicates won’t be accepted.

Postal votes

The deadline for applying for a postal vote is 5pm on Wednesday 19 June. To apply for a postal vote visit the Electoral Commission website.

It’s no longer possible to simply drop off a completed postal vote pack at Shirehall or at polling station, An appropriate form must also be completed.

Proxy voting

The deadline for applying for a proxy vote is 5pm on Wednesday 26 June. To apply for a proxy vote visit the Electoral Commission website.

Overseas voter registration

British and eligible Irish citizens living overseas can now register to vote in UK general elections no matter how long ago they left or were last registered. There’s no longer a 15-year limit. They’ll be registered at the constituency where they were last registered to vote, or where they lived if they weren’t registered.

For more information, visit the Electoral Commission website.

Thanks.

Best wishes.

Andy Begley

Acting returning officer for the Shropshire Council area

andy.begley@shropshire.gov.uk

Reminder about photo ID and registering to vote ahead of general election

Related topics: Democracy

With a general election expected to be held later this year, potential voters in Shropshire are being reminded of the need to register to vote, and to have a valid form of photo ID if they’re planning to vote at a polling station.

Anyone not already registered to vote can do so at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote – and is encouraged to register now rather than leave it until a date for the general election is announced.

Valid forms of photo ID can be seen on the Electoral Commission website.

Anyone who doesn’t have one of these can instead apply for a free voter authority certificate (VAC) online. Again, people are advised to apply for a VAC now, rather than leaving it till the last minute.

Meanwhile, latest figures for voting in the Shropshire Council area at the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner election on 2 May 2024 show that 0.5% of people visiting a polling station (122 in total) were unable to vote due to not having a valid form of photo ID. Initially 318 (1.2%) were refused a ballot paper, but 196 (61.6%) of these returned later with accepted ID and were able to vote.

In total 25,589 people voted at a polling station on the day.

Andy Begley, local Shropshire returning officer, said:

“Anyone voting at a polling station at the next general election, for the local elections in May 2025, and for any future by-elections must have an accepted form of photo ID – and it’s important that everyone understands what types of ID they can use, and how to apply for free ID if they need it.

“These figures show that only a small number of people were turned away from a polling station, or didn’t vote, on 2 May due to not having an accepted form of ID. But ideally we want everyone who visits a polling station on election day to be able to cast their vote, which is why we’re reminding people about the need for photo ID, and encouraging them to check if they have valid ID ahead of the general election – and to apply for a free voter authority certificate if not.

“It’s also important that people register to vote, if they aren’t already, and we encourage people to register sooner rather than later.”

The figures for the Shropshire Council area for the West Mercia PCC election are:

• The total number of electors who were eligible to vote in person at the polling stations – 214,286
• The total number of voters issued with a ballot paper at polling stations – 25,589
• The percentage of electors eligible to vote in person at the polling stations who voted – 11.9%
• % attended the polling station and were able to vote on 2 May – 99.5% (25,467)
• % who applied for but were refused a ballot paper by the close of poll  – 0.5% (122)
• % who applied for, but were initially refused, a ballot paper – 1.2% (318)
• Of the electors initially refused a ballot paper, % who later returned with accepted ID and were issued with a ballot paper – 61.6% (196)

To apply for a Voter Authority Certificate, voters will need to provide a good quality photo, full name, date of birth, the address at which they are registered to vote and their National Insurance numbe