LETTERS will be arriving on doorsteps telling residents whether they need to act to ensure they are still on the electoral register.

A new system called Individual Electoral Registration is now in operation in England and Wales.

Under this system, individuals are responsible for registering themselves rather than one person representing a whole household as was previously the case.

To prepare for the arrival of the new system, everyone who was already registered has had their details checked against government and council databases.

If these match, they will be receiving written confirmation that they are on the registered and do not have to do anything further.

But if their details do not match, they will be sent an invitation to register and need to act.

For the first time, people will be able to register online via gov.uk/register-to-vote - it’s a quick and easy process and they will just need to provide their National Insurance and date of birth details to confirm their identities.

Those who do not have internet access can also post back the registration form in the pre-paid envelope provided.

To register vote, visit gov.uk/register-to-vote.