Richmond Council has told residents receiving emails about their annual voter registration: "do not delete the message as spam!".

Over the past few weeks, residents have been receiving emails with their registration information – inviting them to make sure that their information is up to date.

With elections taking place in borough in May 2021, it is important that residents do not ignore these communications.

The annual canvass ensures that the council can keep the electoral register up to date, identifying any residents who are not registered so that they can be encouraged to do so. They would then be able take part in any future elections.

Mark Maidment is electoral registration officer at the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.

He said: "This year's canvass, which we have to carry out by law, is taking place during a challenging public health situation.

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"We are working to ensure that we take account of public health guidelines, including the continued importance of social distancing."

It's important that residents do not delete these messages from the council so we can make sure we have the right details on the electoral register for every address in the borough.

"If you're not currently registered, your name will not appear in the messages we send.

"If you want to register, the easiest way is online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote, or we'll send you information explaining how to do this in the post.

When you are contacted, if you need to make a change to your registration information, please respond as soon as possible.

This will make sure the process runs smoothly. It also means there will be no need for additional contact, which is particularly important now.

People who have moved recently are particularly encouraged to look out for the voter registration messages from the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and check the details.

Moved recently? Make sure you register

Research by the Electoral Commission indicates that recent home movers are far less likely to be registered than those who have lived at the same address for a long time.

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Across Great Britain, 92% of people who have been at their property for more than sixteen years will be registered, compared to 36% of people who have lived at an address for less than one year.

Any residents who have any questions can contact their local registration team at the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames by e-mail to [email protected]