Stand for election as a county council candidate

Could you represent the views of local people on a range of issues? Find out about standing for election as a county councillor.

Members of Derbyshire County Council have a wide range of duties. These range from representing the day to day interests of the people who elect them, to involvement in broader issues of interest to the council and local government as a whole. 

Elections for membership of the council take place every four years and the next will be in 2013.

The county has 64 electoral divisions and one councillor is elected for each. 

Standing for election

To qualify as a candidate for local elections you must:

  • Be a British or Commonwealth citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland or a citizen of the European Union.
  • Be 21 years of age or more on the date of nomination
  • Not be disqualified from holding office.

Candidates also have to meet one or more of the following criteria:

  • They must be included on the electoral register and be a local government elector for the area on the date of nominations and thereafter.
  • They must have occupied, as owner or tenant, any land or other premises in the area during the 12 months prior to nominations.
  • Their principal or only place of work must have been in the area for the previous 12 months.
  • They must have resided in the area for the whole of the previous 12 months.
A candidate for all local elections must complete a nomination paper in order to stand for election. The nomination paper has to be signed by the requisite number of electors who live within the electoral ward, parish or division and must be returned by the statutory deadline together with the candidate's consent to nomination.
 
Although most candidates are nominated through a political party, individuals can stand for election in their own right.

Nomination papers must be submitted to the returning officer at the appropriate district council in accordance with the election timetable.   

Further information about the election process is available from David.Tysoe@derbyshire.gov.uk or the returning officer at the appropriate district council. You can also find out more information for parties, candidates and agents on the website of the Electorial Commission. See the information on other websites section for links to the district councils and the Electoral Commission.

Related documents

The following document is in Portable Document Format (PDF). You can download the PDF software for free from the Adobe website (opens in a new window)

Information on other websites

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