First test of voter ID in Shropshire as parish council by-election called

You are viewing content from Sunshine Radio Ludlow. Would you like to make this your preferred location?

Tuesday, 4 July 2023 18:07

By Keri Trigg - Local Democracy Reporter

New voter identification rules are to be put to the test in Shropshire for the first time in a parish council by-election.

Three people have put themselves forward to fill a vacancy on Albrighton Parish Council, and residents will go to the polls later this month to choose their new representative.

It will be the first election in the county since new legislation requiring ID to be produced at polling stations came into effect earlier this year.

The vacancy has arisen after the resignation of former parish councillor Ron Cotterill on May 16. Mr Cotterill was co-opted onto the council in February 2022.

The three candidates hoping to replace him are David Andrew Benson, Jan Gold and Penny Higgs, who are all standing as independent candidates.

Shropshire Council is now urging Albrighton residents who do not have an accepted form of ID to apply for a voter authority certificate (VAC).

The election will take place on July 27, and the last day to apply for a VAC is July 19.

The council estimated in May that around 10,000 people in the county do not currently have an accepted form of ID, of whom only 361 had so far applied for a VAC.

An election will also be held in the near future to fill a vacancy on Wheathill Parish Council, following the resignation of former councillor Joe Watton last month. Details of how to put yourself forward as a candidate will be published by Shropshire Council in due course.

Vacancies on town and parish councils are normally filled by co-option, unless at least 10 electors from the area request an election within 14 days of the notice of vacancy being posted.