The Electoral Services office administers all national and local elections held in the Wakefield District.  This includes Parliamentary, Local Council, European and Parish and Town Council Elections, as well as any referenda and by-elections that can occur at any time.

Parish/Town Council Elections

Parish/Town councils represent the most local level of government. These councils often cover small rural areas, but some can cover large towns and be divided into several wards. 
 
In England, parish and town councils are responsible for a range of local services and facilities, including: allotments; bus shelters; cemeteries; community centres footpaths; public clocks; public conveniences; recreation facilities; and war memorials.
 
There are 30 parishes within the district, but the city of Wakefield and the towns of Castleford, Horbury, Knottingley, Ossett, Outwood, Pontefract, Stanley and Wrenthorpe are unparished.  Of the 30 parishes, 24 have parish or town councils. The other parishes, which are normally the smaller parish areas, will hold an annual parish meeting of electors for the parish, but do not have an elected parish council.
 
The term of office of parish/town councillors is four years and elections are normally held at the same time as the district council elections.
 
For contact details for parishes within the district see 'Related Links'. 

District Council Elections

The District is divided into 21 wards for election purposes, with each ward returning three councillors. The last local election for all 63 seats was held on 10 June 2004. 
 
The normal term of office for a District Councillor is 4 years, but due to all seats being available at the last elections the term of office for councillors will depend on where they finished in the poll on 10 June 2004.
 
The councillor with the highest number of votes will serve 4 years; the next 3 years and the person with the 3rd highest number will serve 2 years.  There were no local elections in 2005 and local elections resumed in 2006, with those serving 2 years required to stand again.

For details of the current district councillors see 'Related Links'.

Parliamentary Elections

There are currently four parliamentary constituencies within the Wakefield district:–

• Hemsworth
• Pontecraft and Castleford
• Normanton
• Wakefield

For details of current Members of Parliament for constituencies in the district see Related Links on the right.
 
A general election is held across the country at intervals of no more than five years and a by-election is where an election is held to fill a vacancy when a person ceases to be an MP in between general elections.
 
The exact interval between general elections is a decision for the Prime Minister of the day (technically, the decision to dissolve Parliament and call a general election is a matter for the Queen, but in practice the Prime Minister's wishes have never been refused). The most recent general election was held on 5 May 2005.

European Parliamentary Elections

Wakefield is located within the Yorkshire and Humberside Region. Twenty-one local Authorities make up the Yorkshire and Humberside region with Leeds being the head Authority.
 
The European Parliamentary seats are allocated on a proportional representation basis. European Parliamentary Elections take place every 5 years. The last European Parliamentary election was held on Thursday, 10 June 2004. 

All European states are divided into regions; each region elects a set number of MEPs to the parliament.  The UK is divided up into 12 regions and each region has between 3 and 11 MEPs. The UK elects a total of 78 MEPs, with 6 elected for the Yorkshire and Humberside Region.
 
If you would like some further information about the European Parliament and your MEP you can contact them via their website see 'Related Links'.