Verification Figure

The Local Government Act 2000 provides that electors in the council's area can petition the council to hold a referendum on whether it should change to a different form of governance. Such a petition must be signed by at least 5% of the local government electors in the council area. It is a legal requirement that the Proper Officer must annually publish the figure which represents 5% of the number of local government electors in Cumberland. This is referred to as the Verification Number.

The Verification Number is published each year during February and is applicable between 1 April and 31 March.

However, every year there is a short period of time when there are two figures that can be used. This is between publication of the number in February and 31 March that same year. During that time, the alternative number that can be used is the one that was published the previous February. We must use the lower of these two numbers as the Verification Number for any petition submitted during that period.

The figure for the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 is 10,526.