MALVERN Hills residents who want to vote by post or proxy in the upcoming general election are being urged to ensure they are registered as soon as possible.

The deadline for applying for a postal vote for the national poll is 5pm on Tuesday, May 23. Anyone who successfully applies for a postal voting form will be unable to vote any other way unless they withdraw their application before the deadline.

Those planning to use this method of voting should also be aware there can be a time delay between the closure of applications and issuing of postal voting forms.

Anyone going on holiday or who will otherwise be unavailable when the election takes place on Thursday, June 8, may consider applying for a proxy vote instead. This is where you nominate someone else to cast a vote on your behalf.

The deadline for proxy vote applications is 5pm on Wednesday, May 31.

Application forms for both are available at malvernhills.gov.uk/elections or 01684 862200. They should be handed in to the electoral services team based in Brunel House, Portland Road, Malvern, before the deadline.

Matthew Box, the council's electoral services manager, said: “It’s important electors consider carefully their availability on polling day and choose the most appropriate way of voting for them. I would urge anyone who does wish to vote by post or proxy to apply as soon as possible to ensure they do not miss out on the chance to have their say.”