WYRE Forest residents are being reminded to register to vote if they plan on heading to the polls next month.

Both local and European Parliamentary elections will take place on Thursday, May 22 and people have until Tuesday, May 6 to register to vote at either.

For Wyre Forest District Council a third of the 42-member authority is up for election with members being chosen in 14 wards - Aggborough and Spennells, Areley Kings, Bewdley and Arley, Blakedown and Chaddesley, Broadwaters, Franche, Greenhill, Habberley and Blakebrook, Lickhill, Mitton, Offmore and Comberton, Oldington and Foley Park, Sutton Park and Wribbenhall.

Elections will also take place to choose parish councillors in Bewdley, Chaddesley Corbett, Kidderminster Foreign, Rushock, Stone and Upper Arley.

For EU purposes, Wyre Forest is within the West Midlands region, which will elect a total of seven members to Brussels and Strasbourg on the same day.

The district's electoral registration officer, Ian Miller, said: "Now is the time to make sure you are registered to vote. The deadline for registering is Tuesday, May 6. Any elector can apply to vote by post and residents who will be away on election day can apply to vote by proxy."

The deadline for postal vote applications is a day later at 5pm on Wednesday, May 7 and for proxy vote applications it is the same time on Wednesday, May 14.

Mr Miller added: "Later this year, the Government is introducing a new form of registration. This will require each person to register to vote individually rather than by household. By registering now, it may save residents from having to provide information such as date of birth and national insurance number when the new system is introduced."

A notice of election was posted by the council on Monday and nomination papers for those wishing to stand at the poll should be returned to Wyre Forest House, Finepoint Way, Kidderminster, before 5pm on Thursday, April 24.

The count for the district council and parish council elections will start on Friday morning, May 23 and for the European Parliament elections takes place on the evening of Sunday, May 25. Results will be available on The Shuttle's website.