Candidates Announced for Clitheroe St Mary’s By-Election

And the list of candidates, or ‘statement of persons nominated’, for the by-election has now been published.

A by-election will take place for one seat on Ribble Valley Borough Council following the resignation of Stewart Fletcher, who has stepped down to start a new life in Scotland.

Borough councillors make important decisions on running services, such as planning, recycling and refuse collection and sport and leisure.

And if you live in the St Mary’s ward the by-election is an opportunity for you to have a say on who represents you on issues that directly affect your day-to-day life.

You will be voting for one of the following candidates: Andrea Marie Derbyshire (Independent), Bill Holden (Labour), Mark Sutcliffe (Liberal Democrats), Kristian Torgerson (Conservative Party).

The polling station for St Mary’s ward is St Mary Magdelene Church in Church Street, Clitheroe, and if you vote in person don’t forget your photo-ID, such as a passport, driving licence or bus pass.

If you do not have one of the accepted forms of ID, you can apply for free photo-ID, called a voter authority certificate.

To apply for a voter authority certificate, you will need to provide a photograph, your full name, date of birth, the address at which you are registered to vote and national insurance number or other form of proof of identity, such as a birth certificate, bank statement or utility bill.

The deadline to apply for a voter authority certificate is 5pm on Wednesday, 26 June, but you are asked to apply as soon as possible in case Ribble Valley Borough Council needs to check any details with you.

To apply for a certificate, go to http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voterID, or you can download an application form and send it to Electoral Services, Ribble Valley Borough Council, Council Offices, Church Walk, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 2RA.

You can also phone the council’s electoral services team on 01200 414411 or 01200 414426 to book an appointment to complete the form in person.

• Don’t forget to vote you must be registered to vote. It only takes five minutes to register online at gov.uk/register-to-vote. Please make sure you are registered to vote before applying for a voter authority certificate. The deadline to register to vote is Tuesday, 18 June, and the deadline for new postal vote applications is 5pm on Wednesday, 19  June.