Local government by-election - 14 July 2022

Statement of Persons Nominated

Please see below, Notices relating to this election.

Three polling stations will be open on the day of Poll.

• BA Jubilee Court Recreation Room
• BB Festival Cottages Recreation Room
• BC White Swan Centre

Voting at a polling station

Poll cards will be delivered from 20 June 2022. Your poll card will show the date of the election and the polling hours, the address of your polling station and when you will receive your postal vote, if you have applied for one. You do not need your poll card to vote.

When voting at a polling station, we ask that you follow the instructions on display and those given by staff.

Find your polling station with Democracy Club's Polling Station Finder.

Busy times in polling stations

Busy times in polling stations often include:

• 7am to 9.30am
• lunchtime
• 3.30pm to 4.30pm
• 6pm to 8pm

Trying to avoid these peak times may mean voters have to wait for a shorter period of time. Anyone queuing to vote at a polling station by 10pm will still be able to vote.
 

Postal voting

• Deadline to apply for a postal vote – 5pm on Wednesday 29 June.
• If you are already registered to vote by post, you will receive your postal voting pack from 6 July.
• Postal vote applicants must already be registered to vote.
• Only postal votes which arrive back by 10pm on polling day will be counted.
• Forgot to send your postal vote back in time? Completed and sealed postal vote packs can be dropped into any polling station in the same voting area on polling day.
• Lost your postal vote or it didn’t arrive? You can apply for a replacement pack from Friday 8 July until 5pm on polling day. From 5pm on 13 July, replacement postal ballot packs will only be issued in person at North Tyneside Council, Quadrant, The Silverlink North, Cobalt Business Park, NE27 0BY. You will need to bring proof of identification: one photographic ID like a passport or driving licence, or two pieces of ID which confirm your name and address like a bank statement, utility bill or official letter.
• Download application forms or call (0191) 643 2270.

Proxy voting

If you are unable to vote in person you can ask someone to vote on your behalf. This is called a proxy vote

• Deadline to apply for a proxy vote – 5pm on Wednesday 29 June.
• A proxy voter is someone you trust who you appoint to vote on your behalf.
• You must already be registered to vote to make a proxy application.
• Your proxy must be eligible to vote in the election and will need to be able to vote in person at your polling station, or can apply to cast their proxy vote by post. They will receive a letter or poll card at their address giving them all the necessary details.
• Postal voters are not eligible to apply for a proxy vote.
• Download and print the temporary application form or email us to ask us to post an application form to you or by calling (0191) 643 2270.
• Emergency proxy votes may be available from after the proxy deadline until 5pm on polling day but only under specific circumstances.

The Electoral Commission website outlines eligibility to stand for election in each type of poll and publishes comprehensive guidance and resources for candidates and agents for all polls. This includes rules on spending, donations, and campaigning.

Nominations

Nomination papers, consent to nominations and home address forms must be delivered by hand to:

Electoral Services
North Tyneside Council
The Silverlink North
Cobalt Business Park
NE27 0BY

You can deliver nominations papers on any working day between 10am and 4pm until 4pm on Friday 17 June.

The Returning Officer may offer informal checks of completed nomination papers before you officially submit them to identify anything that could cause your nomination to be rejected.

Once you have submitted your nomination papers, the Returning Officer will send you a notice to tell you whether your nomination is valid or not. If you change your mind and no longer want to stand for election after your valid nomination has been accepted, you can withdraw. You must do this by 4pm on Friday 17 June.

After the close of nominations, if there are more validly nominated candidates than there are seats there will be a poll on 14 July 2022. If there are fewer than, or the same number, of candidates to seats, they will be declared elected. The Returning Officer will publish the results in a public notice.

Any information on your nomination papers must be true to the best of your knowledge. Providing a false statement could invalidate your election and is punishable by an unlimited fine and/or imprisonment.

Nomination packs

To stand as a candidate, you must complete and return the nomination pack by 4pm on Friday 17 June.

The completed nomination papers must be hand delivered to:

The Returning Officer
Electoral Services
Quadrant
The Silverlink North
Cobalt Business Park
NE27 0BY

If you cannot print the pack, you can collect one from the above address. Please make an appointment by calling (0191) 643 2270.

Completing the nomination pack

Guidance notes for people who are completing the nomination pack for the Local Government elections.

Nomination paper - section one

• The Surname (1b), Forename (1c) and Description (1f) must be filled in before any electors sign the nomination paper in Section Two.
• If you're standing on behalf of a registered political party the Description (part f) should be the name of the registered political party you are standing for and it must match the description stated on the Certificate of Authorisation issued by the party which is signed by the (Deputy) Nominating Officer.
• If you are not standing on behalf of a registered political party the description must be 'Independent' or left blank.

Nomination paper - section two

• Once section one is complete, the nomination must be supported by a proposer, a seconder and 8 assentors.
• The supporters must be registered in the ward you are standing in and eligible to vote at Local Government election.
• Each column must be completed for every supporter: Signature - the persons normal signature as they would sign a cheque, name in capitals - as it appears in the register of electors Polling District - two digit code (for example AA) which can be found at the top of each page in the register of electors and Elector number - the number to the left of the elector's name in the register of electors.
• You can request a copy of the register for the ward they are standing in to help complete the nomination paper.

Home address form - part 1

You must complete part 1 of the home address form.

• You must give your home address and your qualifying address or addresses (which may be the same).
• The qualification address(es) must be in North Tyneside and can be: The address where you are registered to vote, the address that you have occupied as owner or tenant for the past 12 months, your principle or only place of work or the address that you have lived in for the past 12 months.
• If more than one qualification applies you should give all applicable addresses.
• You must give the name and address of the person who witnesses your consent to nomination.

Home address form - part 2

If you do not want your home address to be made public, you must fill part 2 of the form.

• If part 2 is completed your home address will not appear on the statement of persons nominated, notice of poll or the ballot paper.
• Instead the name of the relevant area in which your home address is situated (or country, if outside the UK), will appear.

Candidate's consent to nomination

You must complete the consent to nomination form indicating your qualification to stand for election in the Borough.

• You should tick the box to correspond with the sections you gave addresses for in part 1 of the on your home address form.
• You must give your date of birth and sign and date the consent form in the presence of a witness, who must also sign the form.
• By signing the form, you declare that you are not disqualified - you must make sure that you read the guidance notes attached to the nomination paper before completing this form.
• The consent form must be submitted with the nomination paper, the date of consent must be within one month of submission.

Certificate of authorisation

This form is only needed if you are standing on behalf of a registered political party.

• The certificate of authorisation must be signed by the party's Nominating Officer or an appointed deputy.
• You can complete the form in the nomination pack, or supply a form or letter produced by the party and signed by the nominating officer (or deputy).

Request for party emblem

This form is also only needed if you are standing on behalf of a registered political party.

• You must state which registered emblem you want to use (if the party has more than one).
• You can complete the form in the nomination pack, or supply a form or letter produced by the party which you should sign to confirm the request.

Appointment of election agent

You can appoint an election agent to act on your behalf.

• The main responsibility of the election agent is to deal with election expenses and returns - all payments incurred by or on behalf of you as the candidate must be made by or through the election agent.
• Once an agent has signed their appointment, there is no provision for them to resign. This means they must fulfil the duties required of them unless you revoke the appointment.
• You can act as your own agent and will default to this if the appointment form is not submitted by the deadline.

Election material and publicity

Please read the Electoral Commission's guidance before producing any election material or publicity.

Candidate Spending

The spending limit is £806 plus 7p per local government elector in the ward registered to vote on 9 June 2022 (the last day for the publication of the notice of election).

The following figure should be used to calculate the above: 7,781.

Postal Vote Opening Sessions

You and your election agent are entitled to attend the opening of returned postal votes. You may also appoint agents to attend openings on your behalf. Multiple opening sessions may take place before polling day, as well as on polling day itself. The Returning Officer will give you at least 48 hours’ notice of when and where these will take place.

A final opening session will be held after the polls have closed for postal votes handed in to polling stations. This will be held at the count venue. The Returning Officer will advise you the details in advance.

Polling day

You and your election agent are entitled to observe proceedings inside polling stations or appoint agents to attend polling stations on your behalf. The Returning Officer will advise you how many polling agents will be allowed in each polling station.

Your election agent will be supplied with a list of polling stations. Your appointed agents can arrive at any time to observe proceedings. This includes watching the Presiding Officer show the empty ballot box before it is sealed ahead of 7am and being present at the close of poll. At this point, your agents may also attach their seal to the ballot box and any close of poll packets made up by the Presiding Officer.

Anyone attending a polling station has a duty to maintain the secrecy of the ballot. Breaching the secrecy requirements can lead to an unlimited fine or six months in prison.

The count

You and your election agent are entitled to observe the count. You can also invite one other person to attend as your guest and may also appoint counting agents to attend on your behalf. The Returning Officer will tell you how many counting agents you are permitted to appoint and how to do it.

Counting agents observe the counting process, make sure it is accurate and draw count staff attention to any doubtful ballot papers. Anyone attending the count has a duty to maintain the secrecy of the count and you will be provided with further details on specific restrictions.