Local councillors

What councillors do, find your local councillor, the Leader of the Council, register of interests, code of conduct, allowances and expenses, become a councillor.

Contents

Become a councillor

If you want to become a councillor, you must stand as a candidate and be elected at a local council election.

We have developed a guidebook which outlines the requirements and processes for becoming a local councillor.

Could you be a councillor? Guidance for prospective borough councillors 2025 to 2026 (PDF, 808.77 KB)

It includes:

  • the role and required skills of a councillor
  • the decision making structure
  • partnership working
  • support for councillors
  • allowances and code of conduct

Who can stand for election

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

  • be a British, Commonwealth, Irish or European Union Citizen
  • be 18 or over on the day of the nomination
  • live or work in the Borough of Woking

However, you cannot stand in a local election if you:

  • are a Woking Borough Council employee or are employed by a company under the control of the council
  • are employed by another council in a job that has been designated as politically restricted
  • have, in the last 5 years, had a prison sentence (whether suspended or not) of 3 months or more
  • have been declared bankrupt
  • are disqualified from standing for election for some other reason, such as having been convicted of an election offence.

Standing as a member of a political party

If you wish to stand as a candidate for a political party at the council elections, you must be a member of their local party. You must contact the local party for information on how to join their organisation and how they select members of their party to be candidates at an election.

Standing as an independent candidate

If you do not want to represent a political party, you can stand as an independent candidate. 

Local council elections

Woking Borough Council is made up of 30 councillors, who are elected by thirds. This means that 10 councillors (a third) are elected every year for 3 years with no elections in the fourth year. Each borough councillor is elected for a 4-year term.

Nomination period

Nomination period deadline dates will be published before an election is due to take place. This will be in March ahead of the elections in May.

After nominations have closed all validly nominated candidates will be invited to a meeting. Here they will receive more specific details about the election, such as arrangements for postal vote opening, polling day and the count.

Find out more about how councillors are elected in local councillors.

Contact

Telephone: 01483 755 855
Email: elections@woking.gov.uk