Erewash residents are being urged to make sure they are registered to vote – so that they can elect the first-ever mayor for BOTH Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
Polls will open on Thursday 2nd May to determine who gets the powerful position of leading what will be called the East Midlands Combined County Mayoral Authority.
The post has been created in a devolution deal with the Government to clinch £1.14billion in extra funding as the region gets more powers. The new mayor will not replace existing ones but will oversee transport, skills, regeneration and economic development across the two counties.
Voters on 2nd May will ALSO pick who should be the next Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner to follow on from Hardyal Dhindsa and his successor, Angelique Foster.
The new mayor is expected to boost the region by having the kind of clout seen in other areas with combined authorities such as Greater Manchester and the West Midlands. The election comes after a public consultation was launched about the area getting more local powers and extra funding. It revealed broad support.
Derbyshire County Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, Derby City Council and Nottingham City Council all gave the go-ahead to the new combined authority in December.
Residents need to be on the electoral register by 11:59pm on Tuesday 16th April to take part in the vote. Anyone over 16 can register online, although you must be 18 to vote in elections. The process takes just five minutes. All you will need is your National Insurance number.
Registering to vote can even improve your credit score, making it easier to secure loans or a home.
Students can register at both their home address and term-time address if these are in separate areas. Anyone who needs a postal or proxy vote can now apply for these online. The deadline is 5pm on Wednesday 17th April for a postal vote and 5pm on Wednesday 24th April for a proxy one.
The Electoral Registration Officer for Erewash said: “Voting is an important way of being able to have your say and shape policies that will impact people in the locality. Time is running out to make sure you can take part. We urge everyone not already registered to vote to take action now. It’s easy and only takes a few minutes online – just head to gov.uk/register-to-vote.”