Nominations have opened for the Hawcoat and Newbarns ward by-election for Westmorland and Furness Council and the Hawcoat ward by-election for Barrow Town Council, both recently vacated by the resignation of Cllr Niyall Phillips.
The Notices of Election was published on Tuesday 28 April 2026, allowing candidates’ time to complete their nomination papers before the deadline of 4pm on Thursday 7 May 2026.
Assuming there is more than one candidate for each, by-elections for the Hawcoat and Newbarns ward for Westmorland and Furness Council and the Hawcoat ward for Barrow Town Council will be held on Thursday 4 June 2026.
If you currently live in either ward and are already registered to vote, then you do not need to register your details again.
If you have moved into or changed address within either ward since responding to the voter registration form, you will need to re-register your details before the Monday 18 May 2026 deadline to be eligible to vote in the by-election.
The easiest way to register to vote is online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote, or Westmorland and Furness Council can send you information explaining how to do this in the post. Anyone interested in standing, can contact the elections team by email at elections3@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk
Nomination papers can be obtained from the offices of the Returning Officer, Barrow Town Hall, Duke Street, Barrow in Furness, Cumbria LA14 2LD and must be returned before 4pm on Thursday 7 May 2026.
Postal vote applications now require the applicant’s National Insurance number and a copy of their signature. Registered voters who applied for a postal vote prior to this change but haven’t reapplied for a postal vote prior to the 31 January 2026 deadline must re-apply for a postal vote before 5pm on Tuesday 19 May 2026 in order to receive a postal vote for this by-election.
If they do not, they will not receive a postal vote. However, they will still receive a polling card and will be eligible to vote in person at their local polling station.
Postal voters are encouraged to use the Royal Mail envelope provided with their postal vote pack, wherever possible. Anyone returning a postal vote by hand to the Returning Officer must complete a postal vote return form. A postal vote returned by hand that is not accompanied by a postal vote return form will be rejected.
There are also new limits on the number of postal votes that can be handed in by one person. Electors who wish to hand their postal vote in at the polling stations or designated council offices must complete a postal vote return form for the postal vote to be accepted.
Postal votes should not be put through the council letter boxes, or via internal council mailboxes as these will have to be rejected.
Anyone voting in person will have to show a form of photo ID. Anyone without an eligible form of ID can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate (VAC). Applications for a VAC or an Anonymous Elector’s Document valid for these elections must reach the relevant Electoral Registration Officer by 5pm on Wednesday 27 May 2026.
Applications for a Voter Authority Certificate can be made online www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate
Voters are reminded that there are currently no other scheduled elections in Westmorland and Furness this year. The next scheduled local government elections for Westmorland and Furness are due in May 2027.
In the lead up to the local elections occurring in other areas of the country in May, residents may see news reports about local elections or content from political parties encouraging people to vote in these elections. This is because some other council areas are holding their usual scheduled elections this year.
To find out more or to see if an election is happening in your area, you can visit the Electoral Commission website at www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/your-election-information
For more information about the Hawcoat and Newbarns ward by-election for Westmorland and Furness Council and the Hawcoat ward by-election for Barrow Town Council, visit the Westmorland and Furness Council website at www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/voting-and-elections