Elections and voting

Review of Polling Districts and Places 2023

Every council is required to undertake and complete a review of all polling districts and polling places within its administrative boundary at least once every five years. The last review was completed in January 2020. The new review begins 9 October 2023 and ends 16 November 2023.

The aim of the review is to ensure that:

• electors in the constituency have such reasonable facilities for voting as are practicable in the circumstances
• as far as is reasonable and practicable, the polling places the council is responsible for are accessible to all electors and, when considering the designation of a polling place, must have regard to the accessibility needs of disabled persons

The review will not consider ward boundaries, divisions or parliamentary constituencies.

Related documentation:

• Notice of review of polling districts, polling places and polling stations for 2023
• List of the existing polling areas
• Review of Polling Districts, Polling Places and Polling Stations 2023, Acting Returning Officer (ARO) response and suggestions.
• Comments received on polling station review
• Final submission with recommendations to Council

Hopton on Sea (South ward) Parish Council by-election

This election has resulted in an Uncontested election as one valid nomination was received for the one vacancy.

The official notice can be found below 

Great Yarmouth Borough Council and parish council elections

These elections took place on Thursday 4 May 2023 and the results can be found on our Elections page. You may also find the Local elections 2023 - key facts document helpful.

Results of local elections held in recent years are available on our Elections (opens new window) page. This includes the results of the Great Yarmouth Borough Council and parish council elections held on 4 May 2023, as they are published.

The UK Government is changing how you vote, and how we conduct elections, through the Elections Act 2022

From May 2023, you will be required to show photo ID, such as a passport or a photocard driving licence, when you vote at your polling station.

These changes will apply at Great Yarmouth Borough Council and parish council elections being held on Thursday 4 May 2023. 

You will need to show photographic identification if you are one of the following:

• a voter visiting a polling station to vote
• a proxy voter who is visiting a polling station to vote on someone's behalf

Acceptable forms of ID

This includes:

• a passport issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state or a Commonwealth country
• a photocard driving licence issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or an EEA state
• a biometric immigration document
• an identity card bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (a PASS card)
• Ministry of Defence Form 90 (Defence Identity Card)
• a Blue Badge
• a national identity card issued by an EEA state
• an older person's bus pass
• a disabled person's bus pass
• an Oyster 60+ card
• a Freedom Pass
• a Scottish National Entitlement Card (NEC) issued in Scotland
• a 60 and Over Welsh Concessionary Travel Card issued in Wales
• a Disabled Person's Welsh Concessionary Travel Card issued in Wales
• a Senior SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• a Registered Blind SmartPass or Blind Person's SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• a War Disablement SmartPass or War Disabled SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• a 60+ SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• a Half Fare SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• an Electoral Identity Card issued in Northern Ireland

Expired documents will be accepted as suitable photo ID, providing the photograph is still a good likeness.

If you do not have one of the accepted forms of photo ID, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate (opens new window). This is a free service. 

You must be registered to vote in order to apply. If you need to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate, make sure you do so in good time ahead of it being required at the polling station. The deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate for local elections taking place on 4 May 2023 is 5pm on Tuesday 25 April 2023. 

You need to be registered to vote before you can vote in UK elections and referendums.

To register to vote, you must be aged 16 or over. 

You must also be one of the following:

• a British citizen
• an Irish or EU citizen living in the UK
• a Commonwealth citizen who has permission to enter or stay in the UK, or who does not need permission

You can vote when you're:

• 18 years old in England and Northern Ireland

Registering to vote is easiest online via the Register to vote page on the GOV.UK website (opens new window). 

Alternatively, a paper form can be requested by contacting the Elections team:

• telephone 01493 846327
• email elections@great-yarmouth.gov.uk

If you have recently moved to a new address within the borough, please contact the Elections team to check whether you are registered. If you added or amended details on the recent Household Enquiry Form, sent to every household, it is likely that more information is required from you. Please therefore check as soon as possible.

Voters have a range of options for casting their ballot:

• in person
• by post
• by appointing someone they trust to vote in their place, known as a proxy vote

You can vote at the polling station within your ward, this station will be identified on your poll card. Polling stations are open 7am to 10pm.

From May 2023, you will be required to show an official form of photographic identification (ID) when you vote in person at a polling station.

Acceptable forms of ID include:

• a passport issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state or a Commonwealth country
• a driving licence issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or an EEA state
• a biometric immigration document
• an identity card bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (a PASS card)
• Ministry of Defence Form 90 (Defence Identity Card)
• a Blue Badge
• a national identity card issued by an EEA state
• an Older Person's Bus Pass
• a Disabled Person's Bus Pass
• an Oyster 60+ Card
• a Freedom Pass
• a Scottish National Entitlement Card issued in Scotland
• a 60 and Over Welsh Concessionary Travel Card issued in Wales
• a Disabled Person's Welsh Concessionary Travel Card issued in Wales
• a Senior SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• a Registered Blind SmartPass or Blind Person's SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• a War Disablement SmartPass or War Disabled SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• a 60+ SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• a Half Fare SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• an Electoral Identity Card issued in Northern Ireland

If you do not have any of the accepted forms of ID you can apply online for a free Voter Authority Certificate (opens new window) - this is a photographic identity document specifically for the purpose of voting.

If you are unable to go to the polling station in person on election day, you can apply to vote by post or proxy (where someone votes on your behalf). More information and application forms (opens new window) can be found on the Electoral Commission website. Completed application forms need to be returned to Electoral Services, Great Yarmouth Borough Council, Town Hall, Great Yarmouth NR30 2QF or via email to elections@great-yarmouth.gov.uk as soon as possible.

39 borough councillors represent 17 electoral wards and nine county councillors represent nine county divisions. The elected councillors serve for four years.

The parliamentary constituency covers the same area as the Borough boundary and one Member of Parliament represents the Great Yarmouth constituency.

There are two registers.

Using information received from the public, registration officers keep two registers:

• the electoral register
• the open register (also known as the edited register)

The electoral register

The electoral register lists the names and addresses of everyone who is registered to vote in public elections. The register is used for electoral purposes, such as making sure only eligible people can vote. It is also used for other limited purposes specified in law, such as:

• detecting crime (eg fraud)
• calling people for jury service
• checking credit applications

The open register

The open register is an extract of the electoral register, but is not used for elections. It can be bought by any person, company or organisation. For example, it is used by businesses and charities to confirm name and address details.

Your name and address will be included in the open register unless you ask for them to be removed. Removing your details from the open register does not affect your right to vote.

Every year we are required to carry out an annual check of the electoral register to ensure the information we hold is correct. Correspondence will be sent to each household in the borough during September and October and will list everyone currently registered to vote at the property.

Please follow the information given on the letter.

If any of the details have changed and need updating, or someone needs to be added or removed, please inform us via the:

• HEF response website (opens new window)

You will need both parts of the security code, which can be found on the form, to complete this process.

Please remember if anyone new is added to the form this is not the end of the process. They will still be required to register individually and can do so by registering online (opens new window), or we can send a form.

We are required by law to publish how many signatures of registered voters are required on a petition on whether we should change to a different form of governance, for example having a mayor.

Electors can petition the Council to hold a referendum. The petition must be signed by at least 5% of the registered electors for the district. This is known as the verification number.

The current verification number is 3,660. It covers any petitions held up to 31 March 2024.

The Local Authorities (Referendums)(Petitions)(England) Regulations 2011

In accordance with Regulation 4(1) of the above regulations, the number that is equal to 5% of the number of local government electors shown in the revised register of electors having effect on the 15 February 2023 is 3,660.

This figure will have effect for the purposes of determining the validity of petitions presented from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.

The number equal to 5% of the local government electors for 2024 will be published within 14 days of 15 February 2024. If this number is less than 3,660, the number to be used for verification purposes in relation to any petition submitted for the period beginning on the date of publication of the lower number until 31 March 2024, shall also be that lower number.

Sheila Oxtoby
Electoral Registration Officer
Great Yarmouth Borough Council
Town Hall
Great Yarmouth
Norfolk
NR30 2QF

27 March 2023

Your personal information is processed by us for the purposes of registering your right to vote as part of the electoral service, as required by law.

Please read our Electoral Services privacy notice for full details of what we collect and how we store and use your information, and your rights under the legislation.

Business Improvement District (BID)

A Business Improvement District or BID is an arrangement whereby businesses collaborate to decide what services and improvements (in addition to those already provided by the business rates) they wish to make in their location, how they are going to manage and deliver those improvements and what they are prepared to pay to make them happen.

The Greater Yarmouth Town Centre BID Ballot

This is to give notice that a ballot is to be held on renewing the Business Improvement District (BID) arrangements in respect of the Great Yarmouth Town Centre.

The ballot will be conducted entirely by post by the Ballot Holder, Electoral Services, Great Yarmouth Borough Council, Great Yarmouth NR30 2QF. Ballot papers will be sent to those eligible to vote on Wednesday 17 February 2021 for return by no later than 5pm on Thursday 18 March 2021 (the day of the ballot).

The count took place on Friday 19 March and the results (PDF) [17KB] (opens new window) declared. 

The BID proposer

The BID proposer is:

• Greater Yarmouth Town Centre Partnership
  Unit 5 Wilkinsons Yard
  Market Gates
  Great Yarmouth

If you require further information on the voting process please contact:

• The Electoral Services Team
  Great Yarmouth Borough Council
  Great Yarmouth NR30 2QF
  t: 01493 846327
  e: elections@great-yarmouth.gov.uk