Whether standing at a full Council election or at a by election, a person must be suitably qualified to become a candidate for election as a Councillor. Individual, independant candidates are welcome to stand.
Each candidate must be nominated on a separate Nomination Paper, which must be delivered to the person in charge of Elections. This person is called the
Returning Officer. To obtain nominations papers,
Please Contact Us.
To be eligible for election, a person MUST:
- be 18 years of age on the day of nomination
- be a British citizen, Commonwealth citizen, or a citizen of the Republic of Ireland or a citizen of another Member State of the European Community
- be shown in the register of electors in the local government area for which he or she intends to stand as a candidate; or
have resided in the area for a period of one year; or
have occupied as owner or tenant land in the area for one year; or
have had his or her principal, or only place of work in the area for one year.
(FOR PARISH COUNCILS ONLY)
have lived within 4.8 kilometres (three miles) of the parish.
Candidates are advised to complete as many of the qualifications that apply, because if a candidate only satisfies the first qualification, (that of being a local government elector) and subsequently ceases to be registered, he or she will be disqualified from holding office.
A comprehensive guide for prospective candidates is available from
Electoral Commission
Elections Home Page
