By-elections to take place on Thursday 1 May

By-elections will take place in Chelmsford this May, following the resignation of Councillor Marie Goldman as a county and city councillor. A by-election will be held for the ECC Chelmsford Central division seat on 1 May 2025.

At the same time, another by-election will also take place for two seats on the Moulsham and Central ward of Chelmsford City Council. Residents in this ward will vote for the seat vacated by Chelmsford MP Cllr Marie Goldman, and that of another ward member, Councillor Graham Pooley, who has also decided to step down.

A Notice of Election will be published on Tuesday 25 March a list of candidates for both by-elections will be published on Thursday 3 April 2025.

Key voter deadlines

The deadline to register to vote in these elections is Friday 11 April (11.59pm). If you wish to apply for a postal vote, cancel or change an existing postal vote, you’ll need to do this by 5pm on Monday 14 April.

Wednesday 23 April (5pm) is the next deadline for anyone wishing to apply for a proxy vote or cancel an existing proxy vote. Voter ID will be needed to vote in person, so if you don’t have accepted photo ID, you’ll need to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate by 5pm on 23 April too. The election will take place on Thursday 1 May and the count and declaration of results on Friday 2 May.

You will only be able to vote in these polls if you are registered elector, eligible to vote in this type of election and live in the Chelmsford Central division. If you live in the Moulsham and Central ward, you will receive two ballot papers. This will include a white ballot paper for the ECC election and a lilac ballot paper for the CCC election. If you voted in the last election and have not moved or changed your details since, you do not need to register again.

If you are registered to vote, you should receive your poll card from Monday 31 March 2025. You don’t need to take your poll card with you, but check which polling station you need to go to, as this may have changed since the last election.

Find out more on the voting and elections pages of our website: https://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/voting-and-elections/