Combined Authority and Combined County Authority Returning Officer guidance for Combined Authority Mayoral elections

In order to be validly nominated, a candidate or someone acting on the candidate’s behalf must deposit the sum of £5,000 with you.1 This sum must be paid by the close of nominations.2  
 
You must accept deposits made using:

• legal tender (cash in British pounds only) 
• a UK banker’s draft3

You may refuse to accept a banker’s draft if you do not know whether the drawer carries on business as a banker in the United Kingdom.4

You can also choose to accept funds by means of:

• a building society cheque 
• a debit or credit card 
• electronic transfer of funds5

You should accept building society cheques if they carry out business in the United Kingdom. You should also accept banker’s payments which are orders issued by a bank, guaranteeing payment to the recipient. In any case, you should make clear on the notice of election what methods of payment you will accept and make any requirements you have clear in the nomination pack.  

If the deposit is given to you by someone acting on behalf of the candidate, the person delivering the deposit must give you their name and address, unless they have already provided this information as part of their notification of appointment as an election agent.6

Where a candidate is not shown as standing nominated in the statement of persons nominated, the deposit must be returned as soon as practicable after the publication of the statement of persons nominated to the person who made the deposit or their personal representative.7

If there is a fee attached to the form of payment, you can pass this on to the candidate. If so, you should make this clear on the notice of election and the nomination pack.