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Combined authority mayoral election in Greater Manchester Guidance for candidates and agents Part 1b of 6 – Can you stand for election? September 2018 This document applies to a combined authority mayoral election in Greater Manchester. It does not apply to any other mayoral election or to district, borough, county, county borough or unitary authority elections, parish or community council elections or elections to the Greater London Authority. Our guidance and resources for other elections can be accessed from our website at: http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/guidance/resources-for-those- we-regulate/candidates-and-agents. 2 Contents Essential information ....................................................................................................... 3 Qualifications for standing for election .......................................................................... 4 Disqualifications ............................................................................................................ 4 I am a councillor at a constituent council – can I stand? ............................................... 7 Supplementary information ............................................................................................. 8 The qualifications .......................................................................................................... 8 a. Being a registered local government elector .......................................................... 8 b. Occupying as owner or tenant any land or other premises within the combined authority area ............................................................. 8 c. Your main or only place of work is in the combined authority area ........................................................................................................... 10 d. Living in the combined authority area ................................................................... 10 Further information on certain disqualifications .......................................................... 10 Working for the combined authority, a constituent council or a parish council .................................................................................................... 10 Politically restricted posts ......................................................................................... 12 Bankruptcy restrictions or interim order .................................................................... 13 Working for the police ............................................................................................... 13 Combined authority mayoral elections > Greater Manchester > Candidates and agents > Part 1b of 6 3 Essential We are here to help, so please contact us if you have any information questions. See our Overview This section of the document contains our guidance on document for contact whether or not you can stand for election at the combined details. authority mayoral election in Greater Manchester. We have produced this document, separately from part 1a, This document also because the combined authority mayor in Greater Manchester does not cover local will also take on the functions of a Police and Crime authority mayoral Commissioner and, as a result, the disqualifications that apply elections or elections to candidates at this election are different to the for the Mayor of disqualifications at other combined authority mayoral elections London. in England. You can access Supplementary information, which may only be relevant to guidance for those some candidates in Greater Manchester, is provided at the elections through our back of this document. You can view this supplementary website. guidance by clicking on the links within this document or by clicking on the chapter heading on the contents page. Revised data protection legislation applies from 25 May In this document, we use ‘you’ to refer to the candidate. We use 2018 and will apply to ‘must’ when we refer to a specific requirement. We use ‘should’ for the processing of all items we consider to be minimum good practice, but which are not personal data. legal or regulatory requirements. Please contact the Deadlines mentioned in this document are generic and we have Information Commissioner's Office published a generic election timetable on our website. If an for further information election is called, you will be able to obtain a copy of the specific about how the General timetable for that election from the Combined Authority Returning Data Protection Officer. Regulation affects you. Combined authority mayoral elections > Greater Manchester > Candidates and agents > Part 1b of 6 4 Qualifications for standing for election To be able to stand as a candidate at a combined authority mayoral election in Greater Manchester, you must be: • at least 18 years old on the day of your nomination1 • a British citizen, an eligible Commonwealth citizen or a An eligible citizen of any member state of the European Union2, and Commonwealth citizen is a • meet at least one of the following four qualifications: Commonwealth a. You are, and will continue to be, registered as a local citizen who either: government elector within the Greater Manchester • does not need combined authority area from the day of your leave to enter or nomination onwards. See paragraph 1.10 for further remain in the 3 United Kingdom, information. or b. You have occupied as owner or tenant any land or • has indefinite other premises within the Greater Manchester leave to remain in combined authority area during the whole of the 12 the United months before the day of your nomination and the day Kingdom of election. For more details, see paragraph 1.11.4 c. 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 within the Greater Manchester combined authority area. More information is provided in paragraph 1.18.5 d. You have lived within the Greater Manchester combined authority area during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination and the day of election. See paragraph 1.19 for further details.6 Disqualifications Apart from meeting the qualifications for standing for election, you must also not be disqualified. Combined authority mayoral elections > Greater Manchester > Candidates and agents > Part 1b of 6 5 The full range of disqualifications is complex and if you are in any doubt about whether you are disqualified, you must do everything you can to check that you are not disqualified before submitting your nomination papers. You must be sure that you are not disqualified as you will be asked to sign one of the required nomination papers to confirm that you are not disqualified. It is a criminal offence to make a false statement on your A constituent nomination papers as to your qualification for being elected, council means a so if you are in any doubt you should contact your employer, county council that consult the legislation or, if necessary, take your own is wholly or partly independent legal advice. within the combined authority The Combined Authority Returning Officer will not be able to area, or a district confirm whether or not you are disqualified. council that is within the combined authority area. You cannot stand for election if on the day of your nomination and on polling day: a. You work for the combined authority, a constituent Legislation is published by the National Archives. council or a parish wholly or partly included in the Legislation, including the Greater Manchester combined authority area. House of Commons You will be disqualified if you are employed by or on Disqualification Act 1975, behalf of the combined authority or a constituent can be accessed on council, hold a paid office under the combined authority www.legislation.gov.uk or a constituent council, are employed in an However, the legislation on organisation that is under the control of a constituent the website may not always council, or work for a parish council in the combined reflect the legislation as it authority area. currently stands – for example, at the time of Note that you may be ‘employed by or on behalf of the writing, there are outstanding changes to the combined authority or a constituent council’ if, for House of Commons example, you work at certain schools, fire services or Disqualification Act 1975, health services. This list is not exhaustive. For further 7 8 which have not yet been information, see paragraphs 1.21 to 1.28. reflected in the version on the website. 9 b. You hold a politically restricted post. For further If you are in any doubt, you details, see paragraphs 1.29 to 1.31. should seek your own independent legal advice. If in doubt, seek your own independent legal advice. Combined authority mayoral elections > Greater Manchester > Candidates and agents > Part 1b of 6 6 c. You are the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order or interim order.10 For more information, see paragraph 1.32. d. You have ever been convicted of an imprisonable offence. This disqualification applies even if you were not actually imprisoned for that offence, or the conviction has been spent.11 e. You have been disqualified under the Representation of the People Act 1983 (which covers corrupt or illegal electoral practices and offences relating to donations). The disqualification for an illegal practice begins from the date a person has been reported guilty by an election court or convicted and lasts for three years. The disqualification for a corrupt practice begins from the date a person has been