YOUNG people across the Cotswolds are being urged to ensure that their names are on the voting register so that they can vote at next year’s local and national elections.

According to a national poll conducted by ComRes, hundreds of thousands of 18 to 21 years olds in the UK are currently not registered and could lose their right to vote.

Electoral services manager at CDC Sarah Dalby said: "We want to alert young people to the fact that they could miss their chance to vote next year.

"We’ve started to use social media to heighten awareness of this risk, and we’re also contacting sixth forms in local schools to explain why the democratic process is so important.

“The registration process is very simple and quick. All that is required is your name, address, date of birth and National Insurance Number. This information can be entered online in a few minutes at gov.uk/register-to-vote and only takes a few minutes.

“We encourage young people to register from 16 years of age so their details will already be on record when they turn 18 years.

“We’re also chasing up other members of the public at the moment if our records show that they haven’t completed their electoral registration."