Shepton Mallet residents are being asked to check that their electoral registration details are current or they could risk losing their voice on decisions that affect them - including being able vote in the elections on May 6 next year.

Mendip District Council's Electoral Services Team are contacting households across the district, either by email or by post, to help identify residents who are not registered and to encourage them to do so.

People who have recently moved are particularly urged to look out for the council's voter registration messages.

It takes just five minutes to check the details, and either confirm they are correct, or update them. Please note, deadline dates apply.

The council is legally required to undertake this Annual Canvass of all of the residential properties in the area, to ensure Mendip's Electoral Register is correct.

This year the canvass is taking place during a challenging public health situation, but Council staff are confident communities will respond positively to the prompts.

Households who have provided the district council with an email address in the past should check their inboxes for correspondence from [email protected].

If amends are needed to the voter details, this can be done simply and safely via an official website link which is provided in the email.

Households who have not provided an email address to the council will receive either a form or a letter by post.

The correspondence will be addressed to the occupier and includes full details of what steps to take.

If you tell the council there are new people eligible to be registered at your address, they will receive an "invitation to register form" either through the post (or via email, if this contact method has been provided). They can also go online to register to vote.

If you have a query about the canvass, you can contact Mendip's Electoral Services Team by emailing [email protected] or by calling 0300 303 8588.