Guidance for Candidates at Parish council elections in England

To be able to stand as a candidate at a parish council election you must:

• be at least 18 years old1  
• For polls up to and including 2 May 2024 - be a British citizen, an eligible Commonwealth citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland or a citizen of any member state of the European Union,2
• For polls on or after 7 May 2024 - be a British citizen, an eligible Commonwealth citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland, a qualifying EU citizen or an EU citizen with retained rights3
• meet at least one of the following four qualifications:
  • You are, and will continue to be, registered as a local government elector for the parish in which you wish to stand from the day of your nomination onwards.4 More information is set out in our guidance ‘Being a registered local government elector’.
  • You have occupied as owner or tenant any land or other premises in the parish area during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination and the day of election.5 More information is set out in our guidance ‘Occupying as owner or tenant any land or other premises in the local authority area’.
  • Your main or only place of work during the 12 months prior to the day of your nomination and the day of election has been in the parish area.6 More information is set out in our guidance ‘Your main or only place of work is in the local authority area'.
  • You have lived in the parish area or within three miles of it during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination and the day of election.7 More information is set out in our guidance ‘Living in the parish area (or within three miles of it)’.

When completing your home address form and consent to nomination form you will be asked to indicate which qualifications you meet. You should indicate on the forms all those qualifications that apply to you.
 

Meaning of an eligible commonwealth citizen

An eligible Commonwealth citizen is a Commonwealth citizen who either:

• does not need leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom, or
• has indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom
   

Meaning of qualifying EU citizens 

A person is a qualifying EU citizen if they are a citizen of a country with which the UK has a bilateral Voting and Candidacy Rights (VCR) treaty and are resident in the UK with any form of leave to remain, or do not require such leave.  

Currently the UK holds bilateral treaties with the following countries: 

Meaning of EU citizens with retained rights 

A person is an EU citizen with retained rights if they are a citizen of a country with which the UK does not have a bilateral Voting and Candidacy Rights (VCR) treaty but they have been legally resident in the UK since before the UK left the EU on 31/12/2020 (the Implementation Period Completion Date – IPCD) 
The member states of the European Union which do not currently have a bilateral VCR treaty with the UK and are not Commonwealth countries are: