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Elections

Results of Haverhill Town Council elections were held on 4th May 2023

These external links are hosted by West Suffolk Council

Co-option of Councillors

A casual vacancy has arisen for the role of Parish Councillor for Haverhill Town Council West Ward.  As a by-election was not called the Town Council now seeks to fill the seat through co-option and is calling for interested people to come forward. 

Mayor Councillor David Smith commented “It is an important part of the democratic and civil life of a town to have citizens come forward who are willing to put their heads above the parapet in order to shape the sort of town they want to live and work in.”

Town Clerk Colin Poole explained the process, “People need to complete an application form which they can either download from our website, email me requesting one, or pop into the Arts Centre.  Candidates are asked to confirm that they meet the qualifying criteria for being a councillor and are not disqualified from holding office, as well as to provide background information to help the Council choose the best candidate.”

Councillor Smith added “The selection will take place at the full council meeting on March 18th.  Each candidate will be given an opportunity to briefly address the Council should they wish. All valid applications will be considered, including those of candidates not present.”  

 

The fully completed form must be received by the Town Clerk by 3pm on Monday March 11th  2024.  It may be delivered as a hardcopy to Haverhill Arts Centre, High Street, Haverhill CB9 8AR, or emailed to colin.poole@haverhill-tc.gov.uk

 

Town Council meetings take place on a Monday or Tuesday evening at 7pm and are in-person only, at the Haverhill Arts Centre, whilst various working party meetings are held via Zoom. 

Notices of Elections 2023

Notices of Elections Agents Names for the 6th May 2021

Local Elections 2023

Nomination packs and guidance on the completion of nominations can be downloaded from the West Suffolk website

https://www.westsuffolk.gov.uk/Council/elections/vacancies-elections-results/elections/index.cfm

The notice of election will be published on 22 March and West Suffolk can start receiving nomination papers between 23 March and the deadline of 4pm on Tuesday 4 April 2023.

Nomination papers must be hand delivered to West Suffolk House in Bury St Edmunds between the hours of 9am and 5pm on any working day during the nomination period and they will be operating an appointment system to ensure that a Deputy Returning Officer is available to receive the nomination paper.

The process to book an appointment is simple. To book an appointment, just send an email to elections@westsuffolk.gov.uk with details of the preferred date and time and the area that nomination papers are being delivered for (i.e. the name of the parish/town) and we will confirm the appointment by email.

Between now and Wednesday 22 March, West Suffolk’s Elections Team will also be providing an informal checking service for nomination papers. The informal checks can be undertaken by scanning and emailing a copy of the completed nomination pack to elections@westsuffolk.gov.uk and helps to ensure that any issues or corrections required are resolved before the nomination papers are formally delivered by hand.  They aim to respond to any of these requests by the end of the next working day.

Current downloads

Registering to vote

Register online via the Government’s website. You will need your National Insurance number and your date of birth. This system verifies who you are via other sources to reduce the risk of fraud and inaccurate entries on the register. Please note that you now need a valid ID to vote. 

Where to vote

Haverhill has six electoral wards, the same for both the Town Council and District Council. 

The wards are:

Haverhill Central (incorporating the old Mount Road ward)

Haverhill East

Haverhill North

Haverhill South

Haverhill South East

Haverhill West

if you have registered to vote you will receive a voting card by post which details where you need to go to vote.  You can also choose to vote by post before election day or nominate a proxy to vote on your behalf. Visit https://www.westsuffolk.gov.uk/Council/elections/howtovote.cfm for more information.

Stand for election

Haverhill Town Council is the parish council for Haverhill.   Parish Councils are the closest form of local government to the people it represents.  The role is entirely voluntary.  The strongest councils are formed of people from a broad cross-section of the community, coming together with different viewpoints, but prepared to reach a consensus.  Diversity is what makes the decisions we take more resilient and relevant to the people we represent, but working as a team towards consensus is essential, as people who refuse to listen to others’ viewpoints and won’t budge their position don’t make good councillors.  If you are passionate about Haverhill, good at listening and working in a team, you could be a great councillor.

The more people who come forward, the better chance residents have of identifying with one or more councillors as the people representing them on the council.  Women, people below the age of 40 and people from our black and ethnic minority communities are currently under-represented on the council. 

https://www.nalc.gov.uk/our-work/local-elections gives more information about the role of local councillors

https://www.westsuffolk.gov.uk/Council/elections/how-to-become-a-councillor/election-process.cfmmore provides information about how to stand for election.  Note that there are district and parish elections.

Turnout in the previous elections

While recent General Elections have seen turnout of at least 70%, other elections fall well short of that. Increasing turnout ensures elected representatives are held to account, and the final results better reflect the views of the people whose lives their decisions will impact.

2019 General election
67.3%
2018 Local Elections (England)
34.6%
2017 English Council Elections
35%
2016 PCC Elections
26%