Preparations for election under way on Arran

Preparations are firmly under way to ensure the UK parliamentary election on December 12 goes as smoothly as possible in North Ayrshire.

Although the election has been called at short notice, North Ayrshire’s returning officer Craig Hatton says work carried out behind the scenes means preparations are well in hand to ensure an efficient democratic vote.

Mr Hatton said: ‘This will be the first parliamentary election held in December since 1923 and that presents its own set of challenges. Contingency plans are being put in place to take account of potential winter conditions.

‘Given that we will be entering the busy pre-Christmas period, I would urge those who vote by post to ensure they return their ballot as soon as possible. This is the busiest time of year for the Royal Mail so ensuring ballots are returned quickly will make a big difference.

‘I would also like to take this opportunity to remind those who are not currently registered to vote that they still have time to join the electoral register.

‘No one should miss out on their right to be part of the democratic process – simply go to www.gov.uk/ register-to-vote where registration takes about five minutes.’

The deadline for registering to vote is Tuesday November 26, while the deadline for registering a new postal vote and postal proxy applications is 5pm on the same date. For applications to vote by proxy (not postal proxy or emergency proxies), the deadline is 5pm on Wednesday December 4.