The local elections are coming up on 5 May 2022, and Ealing Council is reminding residents who have moved address in the last year, changed their details or may not already be registered to vote, to make sure they are registered as soon as possible.
You are not automatically registered to vote, even if you pay council tax.
Unless you are registered, you cannot vote and you will miss a critical opportunity to have your say on what happens where you live and the services on offer in your community. Not being registered could also affect your credit rating.
Council elections
New boundaries dividing up the borough into neighbourhoods (or wards) mean that Ealing Council will have 24 wards, represented by 70 councillors.
Two of the wards will each be represented by two councillors, whereas the other 22 wards will have three councillors each.
Nearly all of the borough’s existing ward boundaries changed following an independent review by the Local Government Boundary Commission. You can view a map of the new wards on the council’s website.
If you are not sure which ward you live in, you can search by post code on the council’s website.
Ealing Council provides hundreds of services to local residents and businesses – everything from social care to recycling, from schools to food hygiene inspections, and from sports centres to libraries. The council’s priorities, and budgets, are set by its councillors, and most of its decisions are made by them. Your vote can influence who those councillors are and the decisions they make on your behalf.
How to register or to apply for a postal vote
Being registered to vote does not mean you have to vote, it just means you can.
You should register to vote as soon as possible, but the absolute deadline for these elections is 14 April 2022. Even if you will not be around on 5 May to vote in person, you may still be able to vote if you register and apply for a postal vote.
In order to register you need to complete your registration online. Make sure you have your national insurance number to hand, because you will need this to complete your online registration.
To apply for a postal vote, you can download and print off an application form and, again, you should do this as soon as possible. The absolute deadline for you to apply for a postal vote for the local elections is 19 April 2022.
Alternatively, contact the electoral services office to ask for forms to be sent to you by calling 020 8825 7777 or email to elections@ealing.gov.uk
