District and county council elections in Suffolk Coastal
Suffolk Coastal District Council elections are
held every four years with the last full elections taking
place on 5 May 2011. The Suffolk Coastal district has
55
district councillors
representing 34 electoral wards.
Suffolk County Council elections are also
held every four years with the last full elections taking place in
June 2009. There are 13 county councillors representing
11 electoral divisions (new window) in the
Suffolk Coastal district.
By-elections are held to fill vacant seats as and when they
occur.
District and county councillors are elected for a term of four
years and must seek re-election at the next full elections if they
wish to remain in office. Any councillor elected mid-term as a
result of a by-election must also seek re-election at the next
full elections.
This webpage will give you a brief overview of standing for a
district or county council election and the links will take you to
more detailed information.
Who can stand?
You can stand as a candidate for a district council or county
council election if you are:
- A British citizen, or a citizen of the Commonwealth or the
European Union, and
- 18 years or older on the day you become nominated for
election.
And if you meet at least one of the following four
qualifications on the day you are nominated and on polling day:
- You are registered as a local government elector for the local
authority area in which you wish to stand; or
- 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 you are nominated; or
- Your main or only place of work during the last 12 months has
been in the local authority area; or
- You have lived in the local authority area during the whole of
the last 12 months.
You cannot be a candidate if:
- 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 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 election day.
- You have been disqualified under Part III of the Representation
of the People Act 1983 (which relates to donations and other
offences) or under the Audit Commission Act 1998.
Political parties
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).
Nominations
To stand for as a candidate for a district council or county
council election you must have ten nominations, one of which
officially proposes you as a candidate, and one of which seconds
that nomination. All ten people must be on the electoral register
for the division/ward in which you want to stand.
Nomination papers are available below to download or they can be
obtained from the Deputy Returning Officer at Suffolk Coastal's
Woodbridge offices by calling 01394 444329.
It does not cost anything to stand for election to a district or
county council.
For further advice about nominations you can call Suffolk
Coastal's Elections team on 01394 444329 or
email
elections@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk.
Election expenses
Every candidate must make a declaration of their election
expenses even if the election is uncontested. Follow the link below
for guidance and a spending return form:
Contested and uncontested elections
A statement of all the nominations will be published after they
close including the names of those candidates validly nominated and
those who no longer stand nominated (for example, invalid and
withdrawn candidates, if any), with the reason why they no longer
stand nominated.
If there are sufficient validly nominated candidates for the
election to be contested, a notice of poll will follow giving
further information about where and when the election will take
place.
If, after the close of nominations and the time allowed for
withdrawals, the total number of validly nominated candidates is
less than or equal to the number of seats to be filled at the
election, those candidates will be elected without contest.
Further information
More detailed information about standing for election as a
county or district councillor is available in the guidance for
candidates and agents published by the Electoral Commission:
Code of conduct and register of interests
A newly elected councillor has to sign an undertaking, as part
of their written declaration of acceptance of office, that they
will observe the council's code of conduct.
In addition, all councillors have to complete a register of
interests within 28 days of the election, which anyone can lawfully
ask to see.
The code of conduct sets out the rules governing the behaviour
of councillors in local authorities across the country. Prospective
candidates are advised to read the code before standing for
election so that they are aware of what will apply to them, and be
sure that they are willing to complete the requirements for the
register of interests.
A copy of the code of conduct is included in Part 5 of
Suffolk Coastal's Constitution.
Useful links