About Elections
Who is responsible for conducting an
election?
The Returning Officer for South Lakeland is responsible for
carrying out all elections,including:
- District, County and Parish Council elections,
- Parliamentary elections for the Member of Parliament for the
Westmorland and Lonsdale Constituency,
- European elections for the Members of the European Parliament
(for South Lakeland's part of the North West Region).
Councillors and Wards
South Lakeland District Council has 51 Councillors,
representing 45 Wards.
All Councillors are elected to serve for four years but may
resign at any time. They may also stand for
re-election when their term of office ends.
Approximately one-third of all District Councillors retire
each year, except every fourth year when Cumbria County Council
elections are held.
County Councillors also serve for four years but all retire at
the same time unless one resigns before their term of office ends.
The next county council elections will be held in
2013.
Parish Councils
Parish Council elections follow the cycle of district council
elections.
Parliamentary General Elections
Parliamentary general elections must be held every five
years. The next general election is scheduled
for May 2015.
European Elections
European Parliamentary elections take place every five years.
The next European elections will be in 2014.
Local Elections
All the regular local elections, e.g. district, county and
parish council elections, are held on the first Thursday in
May.
By-elections can be held at any time to fill a vacancy if, for
instance, a Councillor resigns.
Voting
To be able to vote in any election your name must be included
in the
Register of Electors.
You will
receive a poll card before an election telling you when and where
you can go to vote.
If you are unable to get to your polling station you may be
able to have a
postal or
proxy
vote.
Contact Information
Phone: 0845 050 4434
Helpline no: 01539 797537 or 797535
Email: elections@southlakeland.gov.uk
Post: Electoral Services, SLDC, South Lakeland House, Lowther
Street, Kendal, LA9 4UQ
Fax: 01539 740300