Penn Hill ward by-election

The by-election in the Penn Hill ward is taking place on Thursday 5 November 2026.

Voting

To be eligible to vote in this election you must:

• be registered to vote
• be 18 or over on the day of the election (‘polling day’)
• be a resident in the Penn Hill ward
• not be legally excluded from voting
• be a British or Irish citizen

You can also vote if you have permission to enter or stay in the UK - or you do not need permission - and you’re a:

• Commonwealth citizen
• citizen of Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal or Spain
• citizen of another EU country, if you have had permission to enter or stay - or not needed permission - since 31 December 2020, and this has continued without a break

If you are unable to or don't want to vote in person (by visiting a polling station), then you can either:

• apply to vote by post (your application or any changes to existing postal or proxy votes must be received by 5pm on 21 October 2026)
• apply to vote by proxy, appoint someone else to vote on your behalf (your application must be received by 5pm on 28 October 2026)

Photo ID you'll need to bring to a polling station

Voters will need to show photo ID to be eligible to vote in person and by proxy in this election.

If you do not have an accepted form of photo ID, you can apply for a free voter ID document (known as a Voter Authority Certificate).

If you’re voting as someone’s proxy

You’ll need to take your own ID when you go to vote on someone else’s behalf. You do not need to take theirs.

Polling stations

Your allocated polling station will be printed on your poll card. Your poll card should arrive around 2 October, but you don't need to take it with you to vote.

Polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm on the day of an election (‘polling day’). There is no closure for lunch.

Candidates standing for election

Candidates standing for election will be published when they are confirmed.

Find out how you can stand as a candidate in the Penn Hill by-election.

The role of a councillor

Councillors are elected to represent a number of local residents in an area called a ward. You can also read about:

• becoming a councillor
• what councillors do