Parish council elections

Elections for the below parish councils, where contested, will take place on Thursday 7 May 2026.

Standing as a candidate

You must meet certain criteria to stand as a candidate for public office. You can find out more information on being a councillor on the Local Government Association website. The Electoral Commission has published candidate guidance and information for each type of election:

Nomination packs will be available to collect from the Electoral Services Office in March 2026. Please contact the office on 01242 264132 or email [email protected] to arrange collection or if you prefer, we can email a set to you.
Completed nomination papers will need to be hand delivered to the Municipal Offices, Promenade, Cheltenham any working day from 30 March to 9 April 2026 between 10am and 4pm. You will need to make an appointment for informal checks and submission of papers. We strongly advise an informal check and delivery of papers to be carried out as early as possible. To make an appointment, email [email protected] or call 01242 264132.

The Electoral Commission have produced guidance for prospective candidates which include:

Detailed guidance for candidates at parish elections
A YouTube video provides guidance for completing a nomination paper

The Association of Electoral Administrators have produced a free online course that gives detailed guidance on completing a Parish nomination paper.

The Cabinet Office have updated their Candidate Security Guidance. All prospective candidates are encouraged to read through the information.