You must give public notice of the name of the candidate elected, the total number of votes given to each candidate and the number of rejected ballot papers under each heading.1
When a candidate has used their commonly used name to stand in the election, you should use both their full name and the commonly used name when declaring the result.
You should ensure that the notice of results is made available to all interested parties as soon as possible, including by publishing it on your local authority’s website.
Return of the writ
After the declaration of the result, you must return the writ to the Clerk of the Crown as soon as possible. The writ must be endorsed with the name of the successful candidate.2
You should ensure that, to the best of your knowledge, the member’s full name, any title and their address are given in the full endorsement of the writ.
You, or the person you have delegated this to, must sign the writ and state the capacity in which you are acting. A photocopy of the endorsed writ should be made in case it is lost in transmission to the Clerk of the Crown.
The endorsed and signed writ should then be returned to the Clerk of the Crown via the relevant Royal Mail Regional Operations Director through whom the writ was delivered (or by other agreed arrangements).
For more information about the issue, delivery and receipt of the writ see our guidance on the issue and receipt of the writ.