ELECTIONS for Gloucestershire County Council will take place on Thursday, May 4, and Cotswold District Council (CDC) has now published the Notice of Election to mark the start of the election process.

Anyone wishing to stand as a candidate in any of the county divisions within the Cotswold District area must submit nomination papers to the CDC’s elections team.

The deadline for nominations is 4pm on Tuesday, April 4.

The elections team will be available to accept nomination papers between the hours of 9am and 5pm on any working day from Monday, March 27 to Monday, April 3, and from 9am until 4pm on Tuesday, April 4.

Completed papers must be submitted by hand.

The Notice of Election and nomination paper packs can be viewed and downloaded at cotswold.gov.uk/elections.

Nomination packs can also be requested from the elections team, either by phone on 01285 623002 or by emailing elections@cotswold.gov.uk .

Poll cards were posted out on Friday to residents who are registered to vote.

Residents are urged to look out for their poll card in the mail, and to get in touch with the council if any of their details have changed.

Residents are also reminded that the deadline for new applications to vote by post at these elections is 5pm on Tuesday, April 18.

Sarah Dalby, electoral services manager for CDC, said: “It’s always important to check the details on your poll card and make sure that they are correct.

“It is very easy to update the information if you need to make any changes - you can do this online at gov.uk/register-to-vote or call 01285 623002.”

She said: “People sometimes think they can register for a postal vote just before an election, but we need sufficient time to process new requests, and that is why the deadline for the County Council Elections is on April 18.

“I should also remind those who are not yet registered to vote that they have until midnight on Thursday, April 13 to sign up at gov.uk/register-to-vote – or call 01285 623002 – to ensure that they can vote in the elections on May 4.”