Becoming a councillor
You can be a candidate if you are over 18, on the electoral register, and have lived, worked or owned property in the area for at least the past 12 months. You must also be a British citizen, a citizen of another commonwealth country, a citizen of the Irish Republic or a citizen of another Member State of the European Union.You may be disqualified as a candidate if you work for the city council or hold a politically restricted post with another local authority.
If you are the subject of a bankruptcy restriction order in England or Wales or have a previous criminal conviction with a three-month or more prison sentence this would also disqualify you as a candidate. The full range of disqualifications for candidates at local elections is complex and some exceptions may also apply.
Most candidates are nominated through a political party. However, individuals are welcome to stand in their own right as an Independent candidate.
If you wish to stand as a candidate at an election, you must get one person to agree to propose your nomination, another person to agree to second the proposal and an additional eight people will need to sign the nomination as assentors. All of these people must be on the electoral register for the area in which the candidate is standing.
The Electoral Commission's Guide (link contains details of the election timetables, nomination procedures and campaign regulations).