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Election nominations

How to become a councillor

To become a district councillor for your area you will have to stand as a candidate at the local elections. These are usually held in May in 3 years out of 4.

Qualifications

To qualify as a candidate for elections to a local authority a person must be at least 18 years old on the day of nomination and must be either

A prospective candidate must meet 1 of 4 qualifications:-

• Registered elector for the local authority area or
  
  For the whole of the previous 12 months have:-
• lived in that area, or
• occupied, as owner or tenant, any land or premises in that area, or
• for that 12 months have had their principal or only place of work in that area.

There is a range of disqualifications which can prevent a person from standing as candidate at a local election. Further details of such disqualifications are shown on the nomination forms.

Paperwork

Any person wishing to stand as a candidate will need to complete the following paperwork:-

• Nomination Paper
• Consent to Nomination
• Appointment of Election Agent (optional)

If you are a candidate for a registered political party you will also need to submit:-

• Certificate of Authorisation
• Request to use the Party Emblem.

If you wish to receive a set of nomination papers then please contact the Electoral Services Unit and set of papers will be sent to you.

After the election you (or your election agent, if you have appointed one) will be required to submit to the Returning Officer -

• A return showing your election expenses
• A declaration as to your election expenses
• A declaration by your election agent (if appointed) as to your election expenses

The return must be submitted within 35 days from the declaration of the result of poll.  The declaration(s) must be submitted at the same time, or within 7 days from the date that the return is submitted.

By law, the Returning Officer must make the return and declaration(s) available for public inspection for a period of 2 years from the date of submission.

Further guidance for candidates can be found at Electoral Commission: Parties, agents and candidates| .

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