Parish council elections in England
Guidance and resources that you need if you are a candidate at a parish council election in England
Click here for guidance for standing in other elections
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 29 June 2022. We have updated the consent to nomination forms available below to reflect this.
For instructions on how to use this guidance and who does what at these elections read the overview below.
We have produced a timetable with all of the relevant deadlines for the 5 May 2022 elections which can be viewed here:
For any unscheduled elections please refer to the timetable below.
We published supplementary guidance in 2021 to support candidates and agents participating in polls during the coronavirus pandemic. This remains available for your reference:
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
- Being nominated in more than one ward
- What happens after the close of nominations?
- Appointing agents to observe electoral processes
- What happens if a candidate dies?
Standing as a party candidate
This part covers:
- Completing and submitting your nomination papers
- Nomination in more than one ward
- What happens after the close of nominations
- Appointing agents to observe electoral processes
- What happens if a candidate dies?
Candidate spending
This part covers:
- How much you can spend
- The activities covered by the rules
- 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
- 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