Council election process gets under way

Orkney’s voters will go to the polls on May 4, to selection the county’s next 21 councillors. The starting pistol for the local council elections is fired today, Monday, with the publication of the Notice of Election.

Prospective candidates then have just over two weeks to submit nomination packs to the OIC’s elections team.

Nominations close at 4pm on Wednesday, March 29, with the final list of candidates published shortly afterwards.

According to Karen Greaves, Orkney’s deputy returning officer, the election team has had a number of requests for information from prospective candidates and the recent So You Want to be a Councillor sessions were well attended.

But, she said, anyone considering standing for election as a local councillor, and who has any queries, there’s still plenty of time to contact the election team.

The election count will take place on the morning of Friday, May 5, in the Kirkwall Town Hall, with an announcement expected before lunchtime.

For the first time 16 and 17 year olds are also be eligible to vote in the local council election.

• Polling cards should arrive through letterboxes on March 14/15. Anyone who doesn’t receive one should contact the election office on 886350.
• If you think you might not be registered to vote or have changed address recently, please contact the local electoral registration office on 876222 or email ero@orkney.gov.uk.  The deadline date for registering to vote is Monday, April 17.
• Postal vote packs will be sent out on April 13/14, with a further dispatch done on April 25, for any postal vote applications received after March 29.