Pembrokeshire residents are being urged to ensure they are registered to vote ahead of the elections on May 4.

Out of the 60 county electoral divisions, 47 are contested and out of the 115 community councils, as warded, 18 are contested.

Poll cards have been sent to voters who have a contested election in their electoral area while those areas with no contest have not been sent poll cards.

If householders have not received a poll card it may be because there is no election in their area or because they are not registered to vote. 

The law dictates that only those on the Electoral Register are eligible to vote.

The deadline for ensuring you are included on the Register is Thursday, 13th April.

To register to vote, visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote before that date.

Other key dates to remember are:

• deadline to submit postal vote applications is 5 pm on Tuesday, 18th April

• deadline to submit applications to vote by proxy is 5 pm on Tuesday, 25th April.

If, after 5pm on Tuesday, 25th April, anyone is unable to vote in person because they have a medical emergency or find they cannot attend the polling station because of work reasons, they can apply to vote by emergency proxy.

Completed applications must reach the County Council’s Electoral Services office at Cherry Grove, Haverfordwest SA61 2NZ before 5pm on Thursday, 4th May.

The office can be contacted by phone on: 01437 775844 or email: electoralservices@pembrokeshire.gov.uk

The results will be counted on Friday, May 5, rather than overnight as in Assembly or Parliamentary elections.

The local election results will be updated live on the Western Telegraph website on Friday, May 5 as they happen.