The council appealed to residents to be prepared for the polls to open -  with less than two months to go to the elections.

On May 2 there are the Bolton Council local elections and the Greater Manchester mayoral elections on the same day.

In the Bolton Council local elections, 20 seats are up for grabs as opposed to the 60 seats up for grabs last year. The all-out was a result of alterations to the boundaries between wards but now normality is restored.

In the Greater Manchester mayoral elections, Labour Mayor Andy Burnham is set to take on candidates including Dan Barker (Conservative) and Jake Austin (Lib Dem) for the role he has held for two terms already.

The council appealed to residents to be prepared for the polls to open by registering to vote, sorting out their Voter ID and, if not able to attend a polling station on the day, sorting out their postal votes and proxy votes.

The deadline for registration to vote is on April 16, while the deadline to apply for a postal vote is on the following day.

The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is on April 24, as is the deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate. A Voter Authority Certificate is a Voter ID for those without a valid ID such as a licence or a passport.

Sue Johnson, the council's chief executive, said: "We want everyone who wishes to vote in the upcoming local elections to be able to do so.

"It is never too early to check you are registered, you have a valid ID, and you have applied for a postal vote or proxy vote if you need one."

Here are the dates of all of the deadlines:

April 16 (midnight) - Registration
April 17 (5pm) - Postal Vote
April 24 (5pm) - Proxy Vote / Voter Authority Certificate
May 2 - Local Elections / Mayoral Elections

For information go to bolton.gov.uk/voting.

This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.