ON MAY 1st over 38,000 electors on the Island will have the opportunity to vote for members of the four new Parish Councils which the Secretary of State and the Isle of Wight Council have confirmed will be established in the Newport, Northwood, Ryde and Whippingham areas.
Anyone wishing to stand as a candidate for any of these parishes should contact the Electoral Services Office of the Isle of Wight Council and ask for a Nomination Paper pack — this must be returned to the Returning Officer by noon on Friday 4th April at the absolute latest, and the final list of candidates will be available on the afternoon of Wednesday 9th April 2008.
All registered local government electors in these four areas will, where the election is contested, receive a Poll Card advising them of the date and time of the election, along with details of their local polling station. The poll cards now also contain details about how to apply for, or cancel, a postal vote, but due to production timescales it is possible that the poll cards may arrive very close to the deadline for doing so.
Any elector wishing to apply for, amend, or cancel a postal vote must complete and return a form by 5:00pm on Wednesday 16th April 2008. Postal votes will be sent out via first class post on the evening of the following day, Thursday 17th April.
The election itself will take place from 7:00am to 10:00pm on Thursday 1st May 2008 in these four areas, and the Count will be conducted the following morning, commencing at 10:00am in the Medina Leisure Centre.
Any potential candidate or elector wishing to contact the Electoral Services Office can do so via 01983 821000 or e-mail to [email protected]
