Combined Guidance for Returning Officers at Local Government and Police and Crime Commissioner Elections in England

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Publishing the notice of election agents

At the local government election, upon notification of an election agent’s name and address, you, as RO, must publish a notice setting out those details as soon as possible.1

You should also include the full name of the candidate on this notice, and you could add any commonly used name in brackets, for completeness. 

However, there is no legal requirement to use both their full name and commonly used name, and you can decide on the approach to take. Whichever approach is followed, you should ensure that you apply it consistently for all candidates on the notice.

The notice must be updated if any agent’s appointment is revoked, or an agent dies, with the new agent’s details published on the revised version.2  

Your privacy notice should make clear that you are required under electoral legislation to publish an election agent’s name and address information in the notice of election agents. The notice serves a specific purpose, i.e. advising who will be a candidate’s election agent, so once the election is over, and the opportunity to question that election has passed, they serve no further purpose. You should either remove the notice, or remove the personal data contained in the notice, once the petition deadline for the election has passed.

Our guidance on data protection covers the requirements of a privacy notice and document retention considerations.

Police and Crime Commissioner election

Upon notification of an election agent’s name and address, the PARO must publish a notice setting out those details and the name of the candidate as soon as possible. 

The PARO will provide you, as LRO, with a copy of the notice and you must publish that within the voting area.3

The PARO must update and republish the notice if any agent’s appointment is revoked, or an agent dies. When this happens the PARO must provide you with a copy of the updated notice, and you must republish the notice of election agents in your voting area.4   

Upon notification of an election agent’s name and address (which is required by 4pm, 19 working days before the poll), the CARO/CCARO must publish a notice setting out those details and the name of the candidate as soon as possible.5

The CARO/CCARO should provide you, as local RO, with a copy of the notice and you should publish that within your local authority area. The CARO/CCARO must update the notice if any agent’s appointment is revoked, or an agent dies, with the new agent’s details published on a revised version.6 The CARO/CCARO should provide you with a copy of any updated notice, which you should then publish in your local authority area.

Last updated: 22 January 2025