County Council Elections

Preparing

If you are interested in becoming a county councillor, you should do your best to be prepared, well before the election.

• Find your ward.
• County Councils are responsible for state schools - find the schools in your ward.
• Transport is another responsibility of counties - what major transport infrastructure is in your ward, what is the state of highways?
• Counties also deal with fire and public safety. Are there emergency services based in your area? Have there been, or are there plans, cute to local emergency services?
• What are the council’s plans for libraries?
• Your county council will have some sort of strategic plan - find it, read it, absorb it. It’s the document that guides all the decisions of the council over a number of years.
• • Find the minutes of cabinet meetings, read some past one and make sure to follow and read future minutes.
• If you can, attend future cabinet meetings.
• Find the minutes of full council meetings, read some past ones and make sure to follow and read future minutes.
• If you can, attend future full council meetings.
• There will be a local plan for your area. Find it, read it, absorb it.

Getting on the ballot

• The Electoral Commission’s complete nomination form pack, including election agent notification form
• The source document from which this information is taken

Welcome on board, and thanks for your interest in becoming a local government candidate for Something New. This is the bureaucratic side, where we’ll be guiding you through the process of becoming a candidate in the eyes of the law.

To get on the ballot, you must submit your nomination papers by 4pm on the 4th April to the place fixed by the Returning Officer.

In submitting the nomination papers, it is recommended that yourself, your election agent, or someone you trust delivers them. They must be submitted in person. There is no leeway if you miss the deadline.

There are five forms involved in becoming a candidate:

• The nomination form – completed by the candidate and signed by 10 electors
• Your consent to nomination – completed by the candidate
• A certificate of authorisation – completed by the party’s Nominating Officer
• An emblem request form – completed by the candidate
• An agent appointment form (this is optional)

Here a breakdown of what the forms involve

• Nomination form
• • Your full name
• • Your full home address
• • Signatures of 10 registered electors from the ward
• • Your commonly used name (optional)
• • Party description (optional)
• Consent to nomination
• • Your eligibility to stand
• • Your date of birth
• • Your signature, which must be witnessed
• Certificate of authorisation
• • Allows the candidate to use the party name, one of the party’s descriptions, or either
• Emblem request form
• • Name of the party
• • Description of the emblem to be used
• Agent declaration form
• • Must be signed by you and your agent