Becoming a councillor

Eligibility

To be able to stand as a candidate at a local government election in England or Wales you must:

• be at least 18 years old
• be a British Citizen, an eligible Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of any member state of the European Union, and
• meet at least one of the following four qualifications:
  • You are, and will continue to be, registered as a local government elector for the local authority area in which you wish to stand from the day of your nomination onwards.
  • 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 of your nomination and the day of election.
  • Your main or only place of work during the 12 months prior to the day of your nomination and the day of election has been in the local authority area.
  • You have lived in the local authority area during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination and the day of election.

Nomination

You can get a nomination form from the electoral commission website. You will need the support of ten registered voters in the ward you want to represent. If you are standing for a political party, you will need authorisation from them too. Contact elections@reading.gov.uk once you have done this to complete your application.