Candidates and agents
Standing for election - qualifications and disqualifications
Qualifications
To be able to stand as a candidate at a local government election in England, you must:
- be at least 18 years old
- be a British citizen, an eligible Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of any member state of the European Union, and
- meet at least one of the following four qualifications:
- You are, and will continue to be, registered as a local government elector for the local authority area in which you wish to stand from the day of your nomination onwards.
- You have occupied as owner or tenant any land or other premises in the local authority area during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination and the day of election
- Your main or only place of work during the 12 months prior to the day of your nomination and the day of election has been in the local authority area.
- You have lived in the local authority area during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination and the day of election.
Disqualifications
There are certain people who are disqualified from being elected to a local authority in England. You cannot be a candidate if at the time of your nomination and on polling day:
- You are employed by the local authority or hold a paid office under the authority (including joint boards or committees)
- You hold a politically restricted post
- You are the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order or interim order
- You are the mayor for a combined authority area that the local authority is a part of
- You have been sentenced to a term of imprisonment of three months or more (including a suspended sentence), without the option of a fine, during the five years before polling day
- You have been disqualified under the Representation of the People Act 1983 (which covers corrupt or illegal electoral practices and offences relating to donations)
A person may also be disqualified from election if they have been disqualified from standing for election to a local authority following a decision of the First-tier Tribunal (formerly the Adjudication Panel for England).
Detailed guidance on who does or does not qualify to be a candidate at a local government election
