Guidance for Returning Officers administering Local Government Elections in England

At local authority and combined authority/combined county authority mayoral elections, in addition to the candidate, the election agent can also appoint agents to observe the opening of postal votes, the poll and the verification and count.5

All references to candidates and agents in this section on Postal, Polling and Counting agents should be read as petition organisers and counting and polling observers appointed for the purposes of the referendum.6 In addition to the count, counting observers at a mayoral referendum may also attend the opening of postal votes.7  

At a mayoral referendum, as Counting Officer you may appoint polling observers and you are under a legal duty to appoint counting observers.8 To assist you in your duty to appoint counting observers, the petition organiser may nominate observers for you to appoint and you must not reject such nominations without good cause.9   

Polling and counting observers must be nominated in writing by the fifth working day before the poll.10 The written notice must contain the name and address of each nominee.11  

Where the Counting Officer does not take on the combined functions at combined polls, the Counting Officer must give written notice of the appointment of any polling observers to the relevant Returning Officer by the fifth working day before the poll.12  

The notice must state the names and addresses of the persons appointed.13 The Counting Officer must also give written notice of the appointment of counting observers to the relevant Returning Officer as soon as practicable after they have been appointed.14

Where a local government election is combined with another relevant poll, both the candidate and election agent can appoint the polling and counting agents.15