Column: Find out all you need to know about forthcoming elections

If you need to take a look at who the candidates are for your area, a full list of who is standing in the nine Bassetlaw wards has been published online and can be found at www.bassetlaw.gov.uk.

Postal votes are now starting to be sent out, when you receive yours, make sure to return it as soon as possible by taking it to a post box yourself. Please do not post it through the letter boxes at the council offices, as doing so will cause your vote will be rejected.

If you can’t post your vote in time, you can still take it to your polling station or hand it in to an authorised person at the council offices in Worksop and Retford.

For those voting in person, you will once again be asked to show a recognised form of photographic identification if you intend to vote in person at a polling station.

You can check which forms of ID will be accepted by visiting www.electoralcommission.org.uk. However, if you do not already have a recognised form of ID, there is still time to apply for a free voter ID document, known as a Voter Authority Certificate.

The deadline to apply for this is 5pm on Wednesday, April 23, and you can apply either direct through the gov.uk website, or by contacting the Elections Team at [email protected] or on 01909 533 252.

If you are unable to vote at a polling station in person, there is still also time to appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf. The deadline to apply for this election is 5pm on Wednesday, April 23, 2025.

Meanwhile, anyone who has a disability can take someone into the polling station to help them to vote, as long as they are aged 18 or over. To make it easier for some people to vote, equipment including a tactile voting device, magnifiers, large copies of the ballot paper and pencil grips are also available to use at the polling stations.

You can find the details of your nearest polling station, and information on how to vote on our website www.bassetlaw.gov.uk.