Election information for potential candidates

May 2021 elections

On Thursday 6 May 2021 elections are scheduled to be held to elect ten Worcestershire County Councillors, which fall under the responsibility of Worcester City Council Electoral Services team.

The delayed elections for the Police & Crime Commissioner for the West Mercia Area and twelve Worcester City Council wards will also be held on that day.

Wards/Divisions for Worcestershire County Council

Elections for the following ten divisions of Worcestershire County Council will be administered by the Worcester City Council Electoral Services team:

• Bedwardine
• Claines
• Gorse Hill and Warndon
• Nunnery
• Rainbow Hill
• Riverside
• St John
• St Peter
• St Stephen
• Warndon Parish

Wards/Divisions for Worcester City Council

Elections will be held for the following twelve Worcester City Council wards:

• Arboretum
• Battenhall
• Bedwardine
• Cathedral
• Claines
• Gorse Hill
• Nunnery
• Rainbow Hill
• Clement
• St John
• St Stephen
• Warndon

Electors in St. Peter, Warndon Parish North, and Warndon Parish South wards will not be electing City Councillors but can still vote for Police & Crime Commissioner and County Councillors.

Standing as a candidate

If you are interested in standing as a candidate for the Worcestershire County Council or Worcester City Council elections, please read the information below.

Please also contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and provide your name, the Ward(s) and/or Division(s) you are interested in, and a contact email.

By providing this you consent to receiving emailed updates and official notices relevant to the May 2021 elections in those areas, you can opt-out at any time. We will also use these contact details to send invitations to digital events (see important dates below)

Potential candidates for the Police & Crime Commissioner election should contact the Shropshire elections team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Important dates

Informal checks

Once a potential City or County candidate has completed their nomination papers, we offer the option of an informal check before they are officially submitted. Please contact us to book an appointment at the Guildhall, please allow half an hour per candidate.

COVID-19 measures – When attending an informal check please come alone, if possible one representative from each political party should bring all candidate forms rather than each candidate attend individually. The person attending will need to wear a face covering, use the provided sanitiser, sign-in to the buildings track and trace system, and maintain social distancing at all times.

Formal submission

City or County nomination papers can be submitted to a member of the Returning Officers staff after the informal check has been completed. If you do not require an informal check or have had to make amendments after one has been carried out, you can submit your papers at the place and times stated on the Notice of Election. Please note that Guildhall customer service staff cannot accept a nomination paper, you must deliver to a member of the Returning Officer’s staff.

COVID measures - If attending the Guildhall to submit nomination papers without booking an informal check, we would ask that you let us know you are coming in advance.

Guidance

Please read the following guidance:

1. The Electoral Commission guidance
2. pdf A local guide for candidates and agents (479 KB)
3. pdf Guidance on your campaign and on Tellers (376 KB)

Candidate forms

All candidate forms are available for download from the Electoral Commission website. We have gathered them into one convenient location and made some minor amendments to make them more user friendly for Worcester candidates, you can still use the Electoral Commission versions if you prefer. County Council candidates may prefer to use the versions on the County Council website.

• pdf Nomination pack, including Election Agent form (725 KB)
• pdf Agent appointment forms (133 KB)
• pdf Register requests (108 KB)
• pdf Spending returns (263 KB)

The Returning Officer can print these forms for you to collect from the Elections office upon request.

COVID-19

The need to protect candidates, staff, and the public from COVID requires us to implement hand sanitising, the wearing of face coverings, and social distancing at all election-related events. Please obey the signage and any instructions provided to you when attending events or polling stations. Some events, notably postal vote opening sessions and the verification and count, will need to be carried out differently from previous years. Please ensure you carefully read any guidance provided and attend the briefings detailed above.

Please contact the elections team if you have any further queries.