Parish Council Elections 2023

Published: 16 March 2023

Standing for election | North Somerset Council (n-somerset.gov.uk).

 Elections — #MakeAChange (nalc.gov.uk)Elections — #MakeAChange (nalc.gov.uk)Elections — #MakeAChange (nalc.gov.uk)Elections — #MakeAChange (nalc.gov.uk)Elections — #MakeAChange (nalc.gov.uk)Elections — #MakeAChange (nalc.gov.uk)Elections — #MakeAChange (nalc.gov.uk)

 Who can you stand for election to the Parish Council?

The Clerk is the first person to speak to about becoming a councillor and they can then help you with a variety of resources and the training courses that can be attended.

Check Your Eligibility:
You can be a Councillor for several Councils at the same time: County, District and Parish/Town Council.
You can be a Councillor if you have a full-time job; by law your employer must allow you to take a reasonable amount of time off during working hours to perform your duties as a Councillor.
You do not need to belong to a political party to stand for election and can stand as a candidate to become a Parish/Town Councillor if:
You are over 18 or over on the day you submit your nomination paper and are a British, Commonwealth or European Union Citizen* and at least one of the following:
 • a registered local government elector in the electoral area you are wanting to stand as a candidate have resided in the area for the whole 12 months preceding the day of nominations, or
• work in the electoral area in which you want to stand and have for at least the past 12 months
• own property in the electoral area you are wanting to stand and have for at least the past 12 months
• for all of the previous 12 months you have lived in the Parish/Town or within 3 miles of the boundary *This is expected to change for European Citizens in 2025

Disqualifications. You cannot be a Parish Councillor if:
• You work for the Council to which you wish to be elected
• You are subject to bankruptcy restrictions or interim orders
• Within five years of the election date you have been convicted of any offence and sentenced to a term imprisonment of at least three months (suspended or not) without the option of a fine
• You have been found guilty of corrupt or illegal practices, or are responsible for incurring unlawful expenditure