Candidates in the 5th May elections: Burton-in-Kendal PC, Burton & Holme Ward SLDC, & Cumbria PCC

The SLDC Returning Officer has announced the candidate lists for the May 5th elections to parish & district councils and police commissioner role.

The lists for Burton are shown below - click each image to see the larger version.

5th May Elections

Residents are also being encouraged to make sure they are on the Register of Electors so they can have their say in the local elections and the Police & Crime Commissioner election on 5 May.

If you think you’re not registered, or if you have moved recently, the closing date for registering to vote in the May elections is Monday, 18 April 2016.

It is easy to register, just go to www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

If anyone would like a postal vote, or wishes to change an existing postal or proxy vote, they must apply to the Electoral Registration Officer at SLDC by 5pm on Tuesday, 19 April 2016.

Applications for new proxy votes must be received by 5pm on Tuesday, 26 April 2016. Applications for proxy votes because of a medical emergency or forwork/service reasons, which have occurred after 5pm on 26 April can be accepted until 5pm on polling day.

All application forms can be obtained from the Electoral Registration Officer at SLDC. Completed forms must be submitted to the same Electoral Registration Officer by the relevant date.

Contact the Electoral Registration Officer at: South Lakeland House, Lowther Street, Kendal LA9 4UQ

ELECTION OF PARISH COUNCILLORS (Burton in Kendal)

South Lakeland District Council NOTICE OF ELECTION

ELECTION OF PARISH COUNCILLORS

to be held on

Thursday, 5 May 2016

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT

1. An election is to be held of Parish Councillors for each of the Parishes or Parish Wards as indicated in the Schedule below.

2. Nomination papers must be delivered to the Returning Officer, South Lakeland House, Lowther Street, Kendal LA9 4UQ, on any day after the date of this Notice, on Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (excluding bank holidays) but no later than 4pm on THURSDAY, 7 APRIL 2016.

3. Nomination Papers may be obtained from the offices of the Returning Officer at the same address, during the times stated above, or from the person named in the Schedule below, who will, at the request of any elector for the electoral area, prepare a Nomination Paper for signature.

4. If any election is contested, the poll will take place on THURSDAY, 5 MAY 2016.

5. Electors should take note that:

•  applications to register to vote must reach the Electoral Registration Officer at South Lakeland House, Lowther Street, Kendal LA9 4UQ, by MONDAY, 18 APRIL 2016
•  applications for new postal votes or applications to change or cancel an existing postal or proxy vote must reach the Electoral Registration Officer by 5pm on TUESDAY, 19 APRIL 2016
•  applications for new proxy votes must reach the Electoral Registration Officer by 5pm on TUESDAY, 26 APRIL 2016.

6. Applications to vote by emergency proxy at this election on the grounds of physical incapacity or for work/service reasons must reach the Electoral Registration Officer by 5pm on polling day, 5 May 2016. The physical incapacity must have occurred after 5pm on 26 April 2016. To apply on the grounds of work/service, the person must have become aware that they cannot go to the polling station in person after 5pm on 26 April 2016.

Dated: Friday, 18 March 2016 

DEBBIE STORR

Returning Officer

South Lakeland House

Lowther Street

Kendal LA9 4UQ

SCHEDULE

Parish BURTON-IN-KENDAL

Parish Ward (if applicable) 

No. of Councillors to be elected 9

Person from whom Nomination Papers can be obtained 

Ms C. Davidson, 2 The Square West, Burton-in-Kendal, Carnforth, Lancs. LA6 1LX

Cumbria PCC candidate info now online

Leaflets for the various candidates are slowly going out, but it's a mammoth task covering the whole of the county, so if you've not had information about the candidates, why not pop along to the Choose My PCC website (set up by the Home Office) http://www.choosemypcc.org.uk/candidates/area/cumbria where you can find summaries of each candidate and their election addresses.

Who are Cumbria's Police Commissioner Candidates?

We've been asked who the candidates are who are standing in the Police and Crime Commissioner elections for Cumbria on Thursday 15th November, so here is a screenshot showing the official list as published by the Returning Officer at SLDC.(Click to view a larger version.)

The Polling Station for Burton is Burton Memorial Hall, and voters on the list should have received a Poll Card through the post by now. If you haven't had one, nor arranged a postal or proxy vote, you need to contact the Electoral Registration Officer as soon as possible to ensure you will be able to vote on the day, or if you're not on the Voting Register complete the form you can obtain here: http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/how_do_i_vote/registering_to_vote.aspx or https://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/register_to_vote/electoral_registration_applica.aspx and send it into the Electoral Registration Officer as soon as possible.

Contacts:
Electoral Registration Officer
South Lakeland District Council, South Lakeland House
Lowther Street, Kendal, LA9 4UQ
Tel: 0845 050 4434

Confused about the PCC Election?

The Electoral Commission website has provided 2 helpful pages about the voting process for the new Police and Crime Commissioner on 15 November. http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/pcc.aspx and  http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/how_do_i_vote/voting_systems/police_and_crime_commissioner.aspx

It's especially useful to watch the video they have provided, which explains you can vote for two candidates - a first choice and a second choice, so that's one X in each of the two columns on the ballot paper.



http://youtu.be/PptcuCdSur0

Once elected, the Police and Crime Commissioner will serve until May 2016, a term of 3½ years.

The Electoral Commission has produced a booklet about the election of the Police & Crime Commissioners, a copy of which should be delivered to every household before the 2nd November. However, you can also download a PDF version of the booklet using the link here: http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/PDF/PCC-booklet-public-info-FINAL-ENGLAND-English-web.pdf

More information on the candidates standing, including copies of their statements, may be found online from 26th October on the Home Office website  http://www.choosemypcc.org.uk/ or you can pre-order printed copies by calling 0800 1 07 07 08. The Electoral Commission also has a Helpline if you have questions about the election, where you can talk to a real person, call 0800 3 280 280. Both calls are free from a landline, charges from a mobile phone will vary depending on your service provider.

Election or non-event? You choose!

Why does the Home Office think that having the information about candidates for the Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections on Thursday 15 November should only be available after October 26th? Isn't that getting a bit late in the day? It's certainly too late for village newsletters like Burton News, which are published monthly, to carry it in their November issue.

Also, today is the first that I've heard an advert on local radio (Lakeland Radio) about these elections. The information is online, but not everyone has access to the internet still or wants it in that format, but if you want printed info you have to ring up and ask for it. (You can phone now on 0800 107 0708 and pre-order a printed copy.) Which begs the question, if you don't hear or read an advert telling you this, how would you know that you can ask for it?!

The election of Police & Crime Commissioners is the biggest change in the way police forces are managed for decades and yet it's being carried out in a less than voter-friendly manner. An election taking place in November seems destined to attract a low turn-out - dark nights are never an encouragement for voters to turn out, and the Electoral Reform Society is predicting a turn-out of around 18.5% as against a more usual 60%+ for a general election. How is this democratic? How will the person elected reflect the electorate with such a low turn-out?

In Cumbria there are 4 candidates standing. Whichever of them gets the most votes, it still means that the most powerful person in policing in Cumbria would have been elected by a minority of the electorate.

The PCC will have the power to set out the crime plan for the county, set the budget and precept for the county police force, and hire and fire the chief constable and the deputy chief constable. These are huge powers, and they should be in the hands of (preferably) a non-political elected police authority or of a commissioner who is elected by a majority of the electorate, not just by the votes of the few who realise how important these elections really are.

http://www.choosemypcc.org.uk/ Home Office website about the Police & Crime Commissioner elections
List of candidates standing in Cumbria: http://www.southlakeland.gov.uk/pdf/SPN%20-%20PCC.pdf (PDF file)

The Polling Station for Burton-in-Kendal is Burton Memorial Hall, polling hours are 7am - 10pm.