Local Authority mayoral elections in England
Interim text for reverting back to normal subscriber rules
The Local Government Disqualification Act 2022 came into effect on 28 June 2022. The Act disqualifies individuals subject to certain sexual offence legal orders from standing for election or holding office in local authorities. We have updated Part 1 of our guidance for Candidates and Agents to reflect this.
Secondary legislation has also been made to amend the relevant consent to nomination forms and this came into force on 7 July 2022 We have updated the consent to nomination forms available below to reflect this.
Notional spending update Elections Act
Under the Elections Act 2022, two changes have been made to the legislation on candidate spending rules:
- Definition of ‘use on behalf a candidate’ in notional spending
- Making payments for local campaigning
The changes came into force on 23 November 2022. We have updated our Part 3 guidance to reflect the change.
Guidance and resources that you need if you are a candidate or agent at a local authority mayoral election in England
Click here for guidance on combined authority mayoral elections in England
An overview document gives instructions on how to use this guidance and who does what at these elections.
We have produced a timetable with all of the relevant deadlines for the 4 May 2023 Local authority mayoral elections, which can be viewed here:
Summary
Can you stand for election?
This part covers:
- Qualifications for standing for election
- Disqualifications from standing for election
Standing as an independent candidate
This part covers:
- Completing and submitting your nomination papers
- The deposit
- What happens after the close of nominations
- Appointing your election agent and other agents
- What happens if a candidate dies
Standing as a party candidate
This part covers:
- Completing and submitting your nomination papers
- The deposit
- What happens after the close of nominations
- Appointing your election agent and other agents
- What happens if a candidate dies
Spending and donations
This part covers:
- How much you can spend
- The activities covered by the rules
- Which donations you can accept
- How to check donations you receive
- What information needs to be recorded and reported
The campaign
This part covers:
- Campaigning dos and don'ts
- Using the electoral register and absent voters' lists
- Using schools and rooms for public meetings
- Imprints on campaign publicity material
- The mayoral address
- Polling day dos and don'ts
- Reporting allegations of electoral malpractice
Your right to attend key electoral events
This part covers:
- Attending the opening of postal votes and what to expect
- Attending polling stations and what to expect
- Attending the count and what to expect
After the declaration of results
This part covers:
- Making the declaration of acceptance of office
- Access to election paperwork
- Submitting your spending returns and declarations
- Questioning the result through an election petition