Make your voice heard in local council elections

THE PEOPLE of Melksham will go to the polls on Thursday 4th May to elect their town and Wiltshire councillors.

Elections will be held for Wiltshire Council, Melksham Town Council and Melksham Without Parish Council.

For the Wiltshire Council elections, one councillor will be elected from each of the following wards: Melksham Central, Melksham North, Melksham South, Melksham Without North and Melksham Without South.

In the Melksham Town Council elections, 15 councillors will be elected from the wards of Melksham Central (5 seats), Melksham North (5 seats) and Melksham South (5 seats). There will be elections in all three wards.

In the Melksham Without Parish Council elections, just one seat is being contested – Berryfields with two seats up for grabs. In the other two wards, there were not enough candidates to fill all the available seats so there will be no parish council election. Just two people put their name forward to represent Bowerhill for the six seats available, while the Blackmore ward was one member short.

Click here to find out who is standing in Wiltshire Council elections and what their priorities are.

Click here to find out who is standing in Melksham Town Council and Melksham Without Parish Council elections and what their priorities are.

Wiltshire Council delivers important services across the county including schools, social services, rubbish collection and disposal, county roads, planning, and leisure services, among other things.

Carlton Brand, Wiltshire Council’s returning officer said, “To vote is a huge responsibility and opportunity, and we want as many people as possible to have their voices heard.”

Stephen Gray, town clerk, urged people to turn out to vote saying, “The town council works towards improving community well-being and providing better services at a local level.

“Councillors are community leaders and represent the aspirations of the public that they serve. Parish and town councils are the most local part of our democratic system and are closest to the public.

“It is important therefore that as many people as possible exercise their democratic right to vote in order to elect councillors to represent their wards on issues which affect the town.”

Polling lasts from 7am to 10pm and all eligible voters receive a polling card from Wiltshire Council giving details of where they should vote. For more details on the elections, including polling stations, visit www.wiltshire.gov.uk/unitaryandparishelections.

The count will be carried out on Friday May 5th, with the results announced later that day. To follow live updates and get involved you can follow @wiltscouncil on Twitter.