Every house with registered electors in the borough of Swindon will soon be seeing letters drop through their door - asking voters their opinion on the possible change.

The final decision on whether to change will be made by councillors at an extraordinary full meeting called for November 21. But they want to hear from as many people as possible to help guide them.

The letters will set out the options and include a ballot form, which every registered voter in the household can fill in, and which can be returned to the council using a pre-paid envelope.

The authority has budgeted £80,000 and would be very pleased to receive a 50 per cent return rate on the letters which will be sent out starting next week.

The deadline for returning the polling forms is Friday October 25 - the poll is run by the independent organisation Electoral Reform Services.

Parish councils, local businesses, community groups and other interested parties who engage with the Council will also be asked for their opinions on the potential change and can submit their comments by visiting: www.swindon.gov.uk/electioncycles.

Voters who want to say something more than just voting in the poll can also use the website to leave comments for the council.

Matt Box, Swindon Borough Council’s head of elections and Democracy, said: “This consultation is an opportunity for the people of the borough to have a say on how they vote for their local councillors in the future and how their local area is run."