Bexley Magazine - Spring 2018

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Local elections The 2018 local elections will be held on Thursday 3 May. Local elections will be held in all 32 London Boroughs and across England.

There are 3 key things you need to know before the big day

1 Register to vote 3 In order to have your say at the local elections on 3 May you need to be registered to vote. You have up until Tuesday 17 April to register. Once you are registered you can vote In one of the following ways – l in person at a polling station – check your poll card to make sure you know where to go

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l by post - last day to apply for postal vote – Wednesday 18 April l by proxy - last day to apply for proxy vote – Wednesday 25 April To find out more about registering to vote go to www.gov.uk/ yourvotematters or call 020 8303 7777 and ask for Electoral Services.

New wards

New ward boundaries in Bexley were approved last year following a review by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England and a period of Parliamentary scrutiny The changes will be in place for the local elections on 3 May, when the number

of wards in the borough will reduce from 21 to 17. This will mean 11 three Councillor wards and six two Councillor wards, reducing the number of local Councillors representing Bexley wards from 63 to 45. The change will save more than £300,000 a year.

Polling stations

Please check your polling card before you vote, to make sure you know exactly where to go following recent changes. As a result of the ward review, the Council was required to look at the borough’s polling districts, polling places and polling stations. This was also in line with the law that asks for a review of these every four years. The review involved extensive consultation with the public, local political groups, Councillors, Members of Parliament and local voluntary and community groups. Changes that followed the review have helped to ensure that polling stations are convenient and accessible for local residents, including people with a disability. There has also been a reduction in the number of temporary polling stations that were previously used.

To find out more about local elections in Bexley and the recent reviews visit www.bexley.gov.uk/elections

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