Your election agent may appoint sub-agents to act on their behalf in any part of the police area in which you are standing, as long as those parts do not overlap.1
The agent can determine the parts into which they wish to sub-divide the police area.
A sub-agent can do anything that the election agent is entitled to do within the area to which they are appointed.
However, the only election proceeding that a sub-agent is entitled to attend in their own right is the opening of postal votes, provided the opening takes place in the area to which they have been appointed. They may also attend the verification and count, as well as the calculation of the result, provided that they have been appointed to cover those processes for that particular area and they are acting in place of the election agent. While the election agent is present, they may not attend.
The election agent should ensure that any sub-agent is aware of the election and spending rules, as anything done by a sub-agent will be treated as if it had been done by the election agent. For further information on election spending, see our guidance on spending and donations.
The election agent must notify the PARO in writing of the name and address of each sub-agent and the area in which they may act by 5 working days before the day of the poll. The PARO will provide a form you can use. Alternatively, you can use the form included for this purpose in the Commission’s nomination pack.
The election agent can revoke the appointment of a sub-agent at any time and appoint someone else in their place by providing the details of the new sub-agent to the PARO. If another sub-agent is appointed, the election agent must declare in writing the name, address, office address and area of appointment to the PARO.
Once a sub-agent has accepted their appointment, they cannot resign and must fulfil the duties required of them unless the election agent revokes their appointment.