Annual household canvass

The household canvass takes place each year to enable us to ensure the electoral register is up to date for each residential property in the city.

The information given on the forms allows us to remove names of people who no longer live at the address and invite any new residents to register to vote.

Resident form

In early August, every residential address will receive a form from us. The information we send you will explain what you need to do. Not all households need to respond.

You must read your letter carefully as you will need to respond if:

• you're told to do so on the letter we send you, or
• something on the form is incorrect/has changed or you need to add names to the register at your property

The form will be addressed to the ‘Resident’ rather than a named individual. They are sent to check the information at each property, which can include where the property is now empty or all previous resident have moved out.

Replying to canvass

If you are asked to reply or need to tell us about any changes, the quickest and easiest way to respond is online via the Household update service website using the security codes on your letter.

You could be fined £1,000 if you do not tell us about any changes or don’t respond when asked to do so.

Providing us with the name of somebody who isn’t registered does not register them to vote. We will send them the application form they need to complete, or they can register online at GOV.UK: Register to vote.

If anyone in your household 17 years of age

Residents who are 17 years of age can register to vote now and are then able to vote as soon as they turn 18.

Elections can happen at any time throughout the year, and if they wait until they turn 18, they may not get registered to vote in time if their birthday is close to the date of an election.

If you have any queries about responding or about registering to vote, you can get in touch with Electoral Services.