Are you ready for voting on Thursday 7 May?

All 75 City Council seats in Sunderland's 25 wards are up for election. This follows changes to ward boundaries by the Local Government Boundary Commission.

It is also known as an 'all-out' election and electors can vote for no more than three candidates in their ward.

Anyone who wants to vote must be on the electoral register and anyone who has not yet registered to vote is urged to do so immediately.

Once registered, voters have a range of options - they can vote in person, by post or by appointing someone they trust to vote on their behalf, this is known as a proxy vote.

• The deadline to register to vote is 11.59pm on Monday 20 April. You can apply online at Register to vote - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). It takes just five minutes
• The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5pm on Tuesday 21 April
• The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is 5pm on Tuesday 28 April.

There are currently 213,587 people on the Sunderland Electoral Register and 61,100 electors (27 per cent) are registered for a postal vote.

Voters going to a polling station on Thursday 7 May are reminded that they will need to show photo ID, such as a passport or driving licence.

Voters who do not have one of the accepted types of ID, can apply for free Voter Authority Certificate at www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate or by completing and submitting a paper form to Electoral Services at the City Council.

• The deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate is 5pm on Tuesday 28 April.

Sunderland Returning Officer, Patrick Melia said: "Don't lose your chance to have your say at this election. Local elections are an important opportunity to have your say on who represents you and makes decisions about issues that directly affect day-to-day life here in our city."

"If you're in doubt about whether you need to register to vote, or have questions about how to apply for a postal or proxy vote, or a Voter Authority Certificate, contact Electoral Services at the City Council."

Voter registration is open to all British and Irish citizens and qualifying Commonwealth citizens living in the UK, who are aged 18 or over. Anyone previously on the register who has recently moved home or whose details have changed may need to register again.

If you need help with applying for a Voter Authority Certificate or want to request a paper application form, please call Sunderland Electoral Services on 0191 520 5550 or email [email protected]