This week, many in our city will be gearing up to elect representing to serve on Carlisle City Council.

On Thursday, every adult in the city will be entitled to have their say at the ballot box.

In today's gallery, we look back at those who have been elected, those who have voted in previous years and, importantly, those who make these important events possible with their dedication to ensuring everyone who wants to vote can and, of course, that every last vote is accounted for!

As ever, this year is one like no other and so the consultation on local reorganisation in Cumbria means that Carlisle City Council and Cumbria County Council elections won’t go ahead as planned.

However, elections for the Cumbria Police and Crime Commissioner and vacant seats on local councils will still be held.

In Carlisle, there will be three Carlisle City Council By-Elections - Cathedral & Castle ward, Harraby South & Parklands ward and Newtown & Morton North city ward.

There will also be a Cumbria County Council By-Election in Brampton division.

The elections will also be held on Thursday.

In this set of images we see scenes of jubilation for elected candidates.

Featured is Labour councillor Steven Bowditch, who is pictured as he wins the Yewdale Ward, surrounded by his supporters at The Carlisle City Council Elections for 2014, at The Sands Centre.

We also see the scenes as Conservative councillor Liz Mallinson was re-elected in the Stanwix Urban Ward in the In other scenes, residents make their way to vote in the local county council elections at Stanwix Community Centre in Carlisle in 2013 to cast their votes.

And finally, we see votes being counted, during the Carlisle City Council Elections through the years, showing the dedication of everyone involved to ensure that the votes are all counted correctly.

For those featured, this stands as a reminder of the importance of local democracy and just how many people have dedicated so much of their time to ensuring the process is a success.