Become a Councillor

You can be a candidate if you are over 18, and must either be on the electoral register, or have lived, or worked, or owned property in the area for at least the past 12 months.

The candidate must be a Commonwealth citizen, a citizen of Republic of Ireland or a citizen of another Member State of the European Community.

You may be disqualified as a candidate if you work for the Council or hold a politically restricted post with another local authority. Bankruptcy or a previous criminal conviction with a three-month or more prison sentence would also disqualify you as a candidate.

Most candidates are nominated through a political party. However, individuals are welcome to stand in their own right. Before you can be accepted as a candidate you must get one person to agree to propose your nomination, another person to agree to second the proposal and eight other people to assent to your nomination. All of these people must be on the electoral register for the area in which the candidate is standing.

Further detail is available from the electoral commission.