If you want to stand as a candidate in a county, district or parish election, there are certain qualifications that you must meet. You must be 18 years old or over on the day you submit your nomination and be:
- a British citizen, an eligible Commonwealth citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland, Cyprus or Malta who is legally resident in the UK - applicable for UK Parliamentary elections, local elections and Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England.
- a citizen of Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal or Spain with any form of leave to remain in the UK or a citizen of any other EU country not previously listed who has been legally resident in the UK since before the UK left the EU on 31 December 2020 – applicable for local elections and Police and Crime Commissioner elections only in England.
Please note, citizens of any other EU country not listed above who have permission to enter of stay in the UK, or who does not need permission, and who became resident in the UK on or after 1 January 2021 are NOT permitted to be a candidate nor vote in any election in England.
Further details can be found on the Electoral Commission website
In addition you must also have lived, worked or been registered in the district or parish for the whole of the previous 12 months.
- More information about standing as a county or district candidate is available on the Electoral Commission website
- More information about standing as a parish candidate is available on the Electoral Commission website
You’re not allowed to stand as a candidate if:
- you already work for the district or parish council
- are subject to bankruptcy restrictions
- have within the last five years been sentenced to a prison term of three months
Official application forms, called nomination papers, will be available from the district council for each election, along with details of the deadline to submit them