To become a councillor, you will have to stand as a candidate at the local elections. Although most candidates are affiliated to political parties, not all are. You can stand as an independent candidate if you wish to.
To qualify as a candidate for elections to a local authority, a person must be at least 18 years old on the day of nomination and must be either:
A prospective candidate must also meet one of four qualifications:
There are a range of disqualifications which can prevent a person from standing as candidate at a local election. Further details of such disqualifications are shown on the nomination forms.
Any person wishing to stand as a candidate will need to complete the following paperwork:
If you are a candidate for a registered political party you will also need to submit:
If you wish to receive a set of nomination papers, email elections@enfield.gov.uk.
Eligibility for candidature for these elections varies, although the general criteria are that the candidate must:
In addition, for these types of election, candidates must submit a deposit, which ranges from £500 to £10,000 depending on the election type. The deposit will only be returned if the candidate polls a specified percentage of votes, 2.5% or 5% depending on the election type.
Enfield's Returning Officer deals with nominations for:
Nominations for the European Parliament are administered by the Regional Returning Officer, who will be appointed ahead of the next elections.
Nominations for the Mayor of London and for the London-wide Assembly Members are administered by the Greater London Returning Officer at City Hall, The Queen's Walk, London, SE1 2AA.