Standing for a district council seat
To stand for a district council seat a candidate must have
ten nominations, one of which officially proposes them as
a candidate, and one of which seconds that nomination. All ten
people must be on the electoral register for the area in
which the candidate wants to stand. It does not cost
anything to stand for election.
If you want to stand as a candidate for an established political
party you should of course contact one of those parties. Links to
the websites of the main local parties are given below:
However, you do not have to be a member of one of these parties
to stand as a candidate - you can choose to stand as an
independent, or indeed to form your own party. But, you do need to
register this party with the
Electoral Commission (new window).
More detailed information about standing for election as a
district councillor is available in the
Guidance for candidates and agents (new
window) published by the Electoral Commission.
Standing for a town or parish council
If you want to stand for a seat on a town or parish council
you only need two nominations from people living in that area. If
you are interested in standing,
contact your local town or parish council and
they will be able to give your more information.
You can also download the guide
'How to become a parish or town councillor' (new
window PDF 90KB) which describes role of the councillor and
the nomination process in more detail.
Follow this link for help with downloading and opening PDF
files.