In just two weeks, Lanarkshire residents will go back to the polling booths to elect a new set of local representatives for both North and South Lanarkshire councils.
The previous elections in 2017 saw North Lanarkshire elect a minority Labour council.
On May 5, residents will be able to cast their vote to elect a new council. The local authority is responsible for making decisions about how money is spent to provide public services across the county.
This includes education, social care, housing, roads and public transport, the environment, leisure and library services, cultural services and waste management.
Each council is divided into wards, with each ward consisting of between 10 and 20 thousand residents. Most wards consist of four councilors, with some represented by three. In North Lanarkshire, there are 21 wards.
There are six wards that represent the Wishaw, Motherwell and Shotts areas. These are: Motherwell West, Motherwell North, Motherwell South East and Ravenscraig, Murdostoun, Wishaw and Fortissat.
Your local polling place will be on your Polling Card, or you can find out on the council website here.
Council elections work differently from General Elections. Rather than one choice, voters use numbers and number each candidate by preference.
Voters can make as many or as few choices as they wish, with one being their first preference, two their second and so on.
Polls will open at 7am on May 5 and close at 10pm. Safety measures in the polling stations, such as hand sanitiser will be in place.
For information on who is standing for election in your ward, visit the council website here.
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