RESULTS: Local Elections - May 2023 | Election of Swale Borough Councillors to Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch Ward

Local elections are taking place on Thursday the 4th of May 2023

All 47 Swale Borough Council seats are being contested, along with town and parish councils.

There will also be a by-election for the Sheppey division of Kent County Council.

To vote in the elections, residents must be on the electoral register. If you are not already registered to vote, you must register by 11:59pm on Monday the 17th of April 2023.

You normally only need to register once - not for every election. You will need to register again if you have changed your name, address or nationality.

You can register to vote at >> www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. It usually takes around 5 minutes.

If you are intending to vote by post or by proxy, you must apply by 5:00pm on:

• Tuesday the 18th of April if you're intending to vote by post

• Tuesday the 25th of April if you're intending to vote by proxy

• Thursday the 4th of May if you're using an emergency proxy vote

You can find more information, including who the candidates are in each election, on the Swale Borough Council Elections and Referendums page >> www.swale.gov.uk/elections

Election of Swale Borough Councillors to Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch Ward

Upchurch Village Hall is our Polling Station and will be open from 7:00am until 10:00pm. The count will take place on Friday the 5th of May at Swallows Leisure Centre, Sittingbourne, and the results will be announced the same day.

The number of Borough Councillors to be elected is 2.

Residents can vote for no more than 2 candidates in this election.

The candidates and results were:

Margaret Anne Cooper - Labour Party 279 votes

Alan Campbell Horton - Conservative Party Candidate 513 votes

Chris Palmer - Swale Independents Putting our community first 879 votes

Richard Palmer - Swale Independents Putting local people first 943 votes

Asha Saroy - Conservative Party Candidate 336 votes

Chris Palmer (Swale Independents) and Richard Palmer (Swale Independents) were elected.

New voter ID requirement

New government legislation means voters in England will need to bring an accepted photo ID to vote at a polling station.

If you do not have an accepted photo ID, you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate no later than 5:00pm on Tuesday the 25th of April 2023.

To find out more about accepted forms of photo ID, how to apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate, and what to expect on polling day, visit >> www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/voter-id

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