1(1)The counting officer must publish notice of the referendum not later than the twenty-fifth day before the date of the referendum.S
(2)For the purposes of paragraph (1), the following days are to be disregarded—
(a)a Saturday or Sunday,
(b)Christmas Eve or Christmas Day,
(c)a day which is a bank holiday in Scotland under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971,
(d)a day appointed for public thanksgiving or mourning.
(3)The notice must—
(a)be in the form prescribed, and
(b)set out—
(i)the date of the referendum,
(ii)the hours of polling,
(iii)a description of who is entitled to vote at each polling station, and
(iv)the situation of each polling station in the local government area.
(4)The notice must also state the day by which—
(a)applications to register to vote,
(b)applications to vote by post or by proxy,
(c)other applications and notices about postal or proxy voting,
must reach the registration officer in order that they may be effective for the referendum.
(5)As soon as practicable after publishing the notice under paragraph (1), the counting officer must give a copy of it to each of the referendum agents appointed for the area.