Valley residents asked to beat the cold and dark and vote by post

Some voters may be put off by trekking to their polling station in the dark or inclement weather

And Ribble Valley residents worried about getting to a polling station in the cold and dark can vote from the comfort of their own home if they register for a postal vote by November 26th.

The general election takes place on Thursday, December 12th - the first in December since 1923.

Voting is the cornerstone of democracy and the ballot box is where people get to have their say on who takes decisions and acts on their behalf.

But some voters may be put off by trekking to their polling station in the dark or inclement weather, while others might be busy with family festive activities.

To vote by post, you must be a registered elector and provide your date of birth and signature, known as "personal identifiers", to Ribble Valley Borough Council.

You are asked to return a security statement with your completed ballot paper. The signature and date of birth provided on the statement is then checked against the personal identifiers on your application form, which helps to detect fraud.

Postal votes remain in separate sealed envelopes until the personal identifiers have been verified. Requests for a postal vote or to change an existing postal vote must be made to Ribble Valley Borough Council by 5pm on Thursday, November 26th.

Further information about postal voting, including for prospective postal voters unable to provide a signature for any reason, is available from Ribble Valley Borough Council’s elections team on 01200 414411.