People living in the Castle ward of Carlisle have until November 9 to register for a postal vote for the city council by-election.

Electors who are unable to cast their vote in person on Thursday, November 24 are being urged to contact the council’s electoral registration section before the deadline or miss out on their chance to vote.

All new postal vote applications need to be with the council by 5pm on November 9 to meet the deadline.

The cut-off for new electoral registration applications is the previous day.

Electors can also submit new applications to vote by proxy. These applications must be submitted by no later than 5pm on Wednesday, November 16.

Residents wanting to apply to vote by post or proxy, can request application forms by calling 01228 817555 or 01228 817556 or by emailing elections@carlisle.gov.uk .

Voters are being reminded that a new system, called Individual Electoral Registration, is now operating in England and Wales.

Under this system residents will be responsible for registering their own details on the electoral register, rather than being registered by one person from their household.

Residents are able to register online via www.gov.uk/register-to-vote .

A spokeswoman for Carlisle City Council said: “The change to IER will mean that new registrations will take longer so voters are asked to apply for postal votes or proxy votes well in advance of the by-elections.”

One seat will be contested in the by-election on November 24.