By-elections have been called for the East Chesterton and West Chesterton wards of Cambridge City Council following the resignations of former city councillors Alice Gilderdale and Sam Carling.

The by-elections will take place on Thursday 1 May, the same day as elections for all seats on Cambridgeshire County Council (including 12 divisions in Cambridge) and for a new Mayor of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

If you wish to vote in the elections on 1 May, and are not already registered, you must be registered to vote by the end of Friday 11 April.

You can register to vote online if you have your National Insurance number to hand – a process which should only take a few minutes.

If you are registered to vote but are planning to be away from Cambridge on 1 May, you can apply to vote by post up until 5pm on Monday 14 April.

If you would like to appoint someone else to vote on your behalf you can apply to vote by proxy up until 5pm on Wednesday 23 April. This may be the best option if you are going to be away from Cambridge on 1 May and there is a risk your postal vote will not get to you in time.

As at all elections, you will need to bring an accepted form of photo ID to the polling station on 1 May if you wish to vote in person. A variety of different photo ID is accepted, including passport, driver’s licence, blue badge, older or disabled person’s bus pass, Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) card and others. For the complete list of acceptable forms of ID for voting in person visit the government website.

Anyone without an otherwise acceptable form of ID can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate either online or by post. This is a free photo ID document issued for the specific purpose of voting at a polling station.

The deadline to apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate for the elections on 1 May is 5pm on Wednesday 23 April.