Tewkesbury Borough Council is about to start its annual canvass and residents are urged to check their electoral registration details to avoid losing their chance to vote on decisions that affect them.
The annual canvass is the council’s way of making sure that the information on the electoral register for every address is accurate and up-to-date. While the register is primarily for electoral purposes, it is also used by credit reference agencies when checking applications for credit (e.g. mortgages, loans and mobile phone contracts).
Alistair Cunningham, Electoral Registration Officer at Tewkesbury Borough Council, said: “Keep an eye out for either an email or a letter from the council in the next few weeks which will contain information on what you need to do to make sure that your household is fully registered. It’s really important that everyone who is eligible to vote has the choice to do so, and only one person needs to respond on behalf of the household.
“We would ask you to respond as soon as possible so that we don’t need to send any follow-up communications (or even carry out a visit to your property as a last resort), which will save time, paper and money.
“If you’re not currently registered, your name will not appear in the messages we send. If you want to register, the easiest way is online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.”
Recent home movers in particular are urged to check their details. Electoral Commission research has found that recent home movers are less likely to be registered than those who have lived at the same address for a long time. In Great Britain, 92% of those who have lived in their home for 16 years will be registered, compared with 36% of people who have lived at an address for less than a year. Please note that your electoral register details will not automatically be updated when you register for council tax at your new home – you will need to register separately.
The council’s communications regarding the canvass should not be confused for a scam:
- emails will be sent out from
electoral.services.tewkesbury.borough.council@notifications.service.gov.uk
with the subject line of ‘Electoral Register Annual Check – Action required’;
- letters will be addressed to the ‘Resident/Occupier’, carry the council’s logo and address details, and include one of the following headings: ‘You must respond so we can check who is eligible to register to vote’ or ‘Is the electoral register information correct for this address?’.
If anyone has any questions, is unsure about their registration status, or is in any doubt about a communication, they should contact the council’s Electoral Services Team at elections@tewkesbury.gov.uk or call 01684 272025.
Further information is available on the council’s website at www.tewkesbury.gov.uk/annualcanvass