Anyone wanting to vote in the general election on 4 July, must be registered to vote before the deadline on midnight 18 June.   

Voters can apply online to register. It takes just five minutes.  

Voters have a range of options – they can vote in person, by post or by appointing someone they trust to vote in their place, known as a proxy vote. The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5pm on 19 June. The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is a week later, 5pm on 26 June. Go online to find out more.  

For the first time at a UK general election, voters will need to show photo ID at a polling station. To find out which ID you can use in the polling station, visit the Electoral Commission website. 

If you do not have one of the accepted types of ID, you can apply for free ID online or by completing and submitting a paper form to your local authority. You must apply by 5pm on 26 June, to be able to use the Voter Authority Certificate on 4 July.  

We're encouraging parents and carers who are eligible for free school meals to take up the offer for their children to make sure they don’t miss out on the additional benefits available.

Whilst all children in reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will be able to receive free meals through universal infant free school meals, some children in these year groups may also be eligible for benefits-related free school meals, which means they will receive additional benefits such as school uniform grants which are paid automatically to those registered.

Signing up also means more financial support for your school and also ensures that children will be able to access free school meals as they move into Year 3 and beyond.

Work on the Carlisle Southern Gateway project on English Street, scheduled to start next week.

This project aims to regenerate the southern entrance to the city, creating a more attractive and vibrant area for residents, businesses, and visitors, and is expected to be completed by spring 2025.

The Carlisle Southern Gateway project is part of a larger regeneration initiative, linking with other key projects in Carlisle. The Devonshire Street project is expected to conclude by summer 2024, and the Carlisle Station Gateway project, involving partial pedestrianisation of Court Square and enhanced accessibility from George Square, is set to continue until 2027.

Additionally, the Market Square and Greenmarket regeneration project, encompassing 6,000 square metres, will start in summer 2024, creating a multifunctional events space to host various community events. The relocation of the war memorial, with support from the British Legion, will also take place in summer 2024 and be completed in time for Remembrance Day. The project has a completion date of spring 2025.

The Carlisle Southern Gateway project (on English Street) will begin on Monday 17 June, with Story Contracting Limited removing four out of five bus shelters on English Street, with the Denton Holme bus stop remaining for the first few weeks. The new permanent Denton Holme bus stop on Victoria Viaduct is expected to be completed and operational by mid-August 2024. Other bus routes will maintain their current detours, turning at Botchergate and using Lowther Street bus stops, until English Street work is completed by the end of spring 2025.