Trafford Council starts two-month countdown to elections

On May 2 there are the Trafford Council local elections and the Greater Manchester mayoral elections on the same day.

In the Trafford Council local elections, a third of the seats are up for grabs as opposed to all of the seats last year. The all-out was a result of alterations to the boundaries between wards but now normality is restored.

In the Greater Manchester mayoral elections, Labour Mayor Andy Burnham is set to take on candidates including Dan Barker (Conservative) and Jake Austin (Lib Dem) for the role he has held for two terms already.

The council is appealing to residents to be prepared for the polls to open by registering to vote, sorting out a Voter ID and, if not able to attend a polling station on the day, sorting out their postal votes and proxy votes.

The deadline for registration to vote is on April 16, while the deadline to apply for a postal vote is on the following day.

The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is on April 24, as is the deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate. A Voter Authority Certificate is a Voter ID for those without a valid ID such as a licence or a passport.

All of these are included in letters to be sent to all households across the area, as are changes to polling stations introduced as a result of a review of the accessibility of these polling stations.

Sara Todd, the council's chief executive, said: "It only takes five minutes to register to vote – and even less to check to see if you are registered. Voting is a cornerstone of our democracy so please look out for your letters."

Here are the dates of all of the deadlines:

April 16 (midnight) - Registration
April 17 (5pm) - Postal Vote
April 24 (5pm) - Proxy Vote / Voter Authority Certificate
May 2 - Local Elections / Mayoral Elections

For information go to trafford.gov.uk/elections.

This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.