Stand for election
You can either stand as a representative of a political party (with the authorisation of the party) or as an independent candidate.
You can find out more about how local democracy works.
Parliamentary elections take place every five years. You can find out more about what MPs do.
To stand for election as a parliamentary candidate, you must be 18 or over on the day of nomination and either a:
- British citizen
- citizen of the Republic of Ireland
- citizen of a Commonwealth country who has permission to stay long-term in the UK
There is no legal requirement for you to be a registered elector in the UK.
You are not allowed to stand if you are:
- a civil servant
- a judge
- a member of the armed forces or police
- sit in the House of Lords
Elections for district and county councils take place every four years. you can find out more about what councillors do.
To stand for district council elections you must be 18 years old on the day of nomination and either a:
- British citizen
- citizen of the Republic of Ireland
- citizen of a Commonwealth country who has permission to stay long-term in the UK
- citizen of a country in the European Union
You must also have either:
- lived in the area for at least 12 months before your nomination
- registered as a local government elector within the Chelmsford borough area
- rented or owned land that you have occupied in the Chelmsford area for 12 months before your nomination
- had your main employment within the Chelmsford area for 12 months before your nomination
You must also have the support of at least 10 electors for the ward in which you are going to stand.
You can also read more about who can stand for county council elections.
Elections for parish and other local councils take place every four years, but they are not always contested. You can find out more about what parish councils do.
To stand for parish council elections you must be 18 years old on the day of nomination and either a:
- British citizen
- citizen of the Republic of Ireland
- citizen of a Commonwealth country who has permission to stay long-term in the UK
- citizen of a country in the European Union
You must also have either:
- registered as a local government elector within the parish or parish ward area
- rented or owned land that you have occupied in the parish or parish ward for 12 months before your nomination
- had your main employment within the parish or parish ward area for 12 months before your nomination
- lived in the parish or within three miles of it for the 12 months before your nomination
You must also have the support of at least two electors for the parish or parish ward in which you are going to stand.
You are not allowed to stand as a candidate for any council elections if you:
- are an employee of the council for which you are standing
- are an employee of any local authority in a politically restricted post
- are the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order or interim order
- have been convicted and received a prison sentence of three or more months within five years of election day
- are disqualified under any legislation relating to corrupt or illegal practices in elections
When you request a nomination pack, we will send you:
- a nomination form
- a form for you to consent to the nomination
If you are standing for a registered political party, you will need a certificate from the party giving you permission to stand on their behalf.
You must return the completed nomination pack to the Returning Officer at the Civic Centre at least 19 working days before the election.
Informal submissions
You can upload your nomination pack for us to complete informal checks on them before you submit them formally.
Submit your forms for informal checks
Submitting your documents informally means we can review your forms before you come in. We can then let you know if there is anything missing or that you may need to change. This will avoid you having to come back for another appointment.
Formal submissions
When you are ready to submit your nomination formally, you (or someone you trust) can deliver your nomination packs to us in person at our Civic Centre offices.
It is best to book a slot with us to do this to make sure that a member of staff is available.
Book a slot to deliver your nomination packs
You can book a slot anytime between 10am and 4pm from Monday 20 March to Tuesday 4 April 2023.
We held virtual ‘become a councillor’ briefing sessions in March, ahead of the May 2023 elections for both city and parish council potential candidates.
The session covered:
- what local councils do
- what local councillors do
- what makes a good councillor
- how to sign up to stand for election
- any of your questions
We recorded these sessions for anyone who wasn't able to attend on the day. If you would like a copy of this recording, you can contact us.