Gill said : ‘The four district councils, who organise the elections on behalf of the County Council, are busy making all the necessary arrangements so that everything runs smoothly between now and polling day itself.

‘Elections are at the core of our democracy, whether nationally or locally. They give local people a voice in how they want things to run and who they want to see representing them.

People may not realise that there will be over 300 polling stations open on May 4th and we anticipate several hundred candidates contesting the 49 divisions so there’s a lot to get organised. We also expect upwards of 60,000 postal votes to deal with as well, so its a busy time for us all.

To be able to vote in these elections, you must have registered or applied to have registered by April 13th. Poll cards will be sent to all those already registered at the end of March, but if you’re not sure whether you are registered, contact your district council. You can apply to register by visiting www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.‘

Gill added, ‘There’s also still time to think about standing as a candidate to become a county councillor, with the nomination period opening on March 27th. Again, your district council will have all the details about this and they can send you all the relevant forms. Completed nomination papers will need to be returned by hand to the district council in the area you wish to stand by 4.00pm on April 4th [2017].‘