Elections 2025

2025 Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) Election

Elections for all 66 county councillors in Nottinghamshire will take place on Thursday 1 May 2025. Rushcliffe Borough Council will administer elections for the 10 county council seats in the Borough of Rushcliffe.

You can find maps of the Rushcliffe Division boundaries on the Nottinghamshire County Council website [PDF].

How can I stand as a candidate in the NCC Election?

You must be:
•   at least 18 years old
•   a British citizen, an eligible Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of the Republic of Ireland, a qualifying EU citizen or an EU citizen with retained rights
•   meet at least one of the following four qualifications:

You are, and will continue to be, registered as a local government elector for the local authority area in which you wish to stand from the day of your nomination onwards.
You have occupied as owner or tenant any land or other premises in the local authority area during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination and the day of election.
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 in the local authority area.
You have lived in the local authority area during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination and the day of election.

Further information on becoming a candidate for this election is available on the Electoral Commission website.

Prospective Candidate Briefing

The Deputy Returning Officer will be hosting an event for any prospective candidates intending to stand at the forthcoming election and their agents. The briefing will take place at 6pm on Wednesday 5 March and will be held in the Council Chamber at Rushcliffe Arena, Rugby Road, West Bridgford, NG2 7YG. The briefing will cover the nomination process, issue of poll cards, registering to vote, postal voting and deadlines. If you wish to attend the briefing, then please contact us by email elections@rushcliffe.gov.uk to confirm by no later than Friday 21 February.

Nomination Process

Nominations to stand for election as a candidate for the NCC election will be accepted by the Deputy Returning Officer at Rushcliffe Arena, Rugby Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham NG2 7YG between the hours of 10am and 4pm from Tuesday 25 March until close of nominations at 4pm on Wednesday 2 April.

Completed nomination forms must be submitted in person to the Deputy Returning Officer at the address and times stated above. Please contact electoral Services either by emailing elections@rushcliffe.gov.uk or by telephone on 0115 981 9911 to make an appointment to have your nomination checked prior to formal submission.

Guidance for candidates and agents is available from the Electoral Commission.

Voting on Thursday 1 May 2025

You need photo ID to vote at the election this May.

The UK Government introduced a requirement in 2023 for voters to show photo ID when voting at a polling station at all elections in England.

This requirement will apply again at the NCC election taking place on Thursday 1 May 2025.

At this election you will need to bring acceptable photo ID to be able to vote at a polling station. Those voting by postal vote do not need to provide ID as separate security measures are already in place for voting by post.

Which forms of ID can I use to vote at a polling station?

You may already have a form of photo ID that is acceptable. You can use any of the following:

Passport
Driving licence (including provisional license)
Blue badge
Certain concessionary travel cards
Identity card with PASS mark (Proof of Age Standards Scheme)
Biometric Immigration document
Defence identity card
Certain national identity cards

For more information on which forms of photo ID will be accepted, visit the Electoral Commission website or call their helpline on 0800 328 0280.

If you have a form of accepted ID that is out of date but still looks like you, you can still use it to vote.

You must show the original version of your photo ID when voting and not a photocopy.

What if I don’t have an accepted form of photo ID?

If you don’t already have an accepted form of photo ID, or you’re not sure whether your photo ID still looks like you, you can apply for a free voter ID document, known as a Voter Authority Certificate.

You need to be registered to vote before you apply for a Voter Authority Certificate. If you are not registered to vote already, you can register online. The deadline to register to vote for this election is 11:59pm on Friday 11 April.

You can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate online.

Alternatively, you can complete a paper application form and send this to the Electoral Services team. If you need any help applying for a Voter Authority Certificate or want to request an application form, contact the Electoral Services team by emailing elections@rushcliffe.gov.uk or calling 0115 981 9911.

The deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate for use at this election is 5pm on Wednesday 23 April, but you should apply as soon as possible in case we need to check any details with you.

What information do I need to give when I apply for a Voter Authority Certificate?

When applying for a Voter Authority Certificate, you will need to provide your:

Name
Address
Date of birth
National Insurance number

If you don’t know your National Insurance number, or don’t have one, you can still apply. However, we will contact you to request alternative proof of your identity.

You will also need to submit a passport type photograph with your application.

You can visit our Customer Service Centre in West Bridgford Library to assist you with your application including the photo you need to complete the application.

What will happen at the polling station?

When you arrive at the polling station, a member of staff will:

Ask you for your name and address so they can find you on the electoral register
Ask for your photo ID or Voter Authority Certificate and check it is acceptable
If your ID is acceptable, they will give you your ballot paper and direct you to vote in a polling booth as usual

A private area will be available at the polling station, so you can choose to have your photo ID viewed in private if you like. This might be a separate room, or an area separated by a privacy screen, depending on the polling station.

Staff at the station are there to help. If you need assistance at any point, just ask.

How do I register to vote?

To vote in this election, you must be registered to vote by 11:59pm on Friday 11 April.

If you’ve never registered, have recently moved to a different address, or changed your name, register to vote online. You can also apply by completing a paper application form.

If you need help registering to vote, or want to request a paper application form, please contact the Electoral Services team by emailing elections@rushcliffe.gov.uk or calling 0115 981 9911.

Are there other ways to vote?

You can apply to vote by post or by proxy (where you appoint someone to vote on your behalf).

In order to vote by post, you’ll need to complete a postal vote application form and make sure we receive it by 5pm on Monday 14 April.

You can now apply for a postal vote online. If you are not able to complete the online application, you can download a paper application form from the Government website. You will need your National Insurance number to hand when applying to vote by post.

In order to vote by proxy, you’ll need to complete a proxy vote application form and make sure we receive it by 5pm on Wednesday 23 April.

In some circumstances, you can now apply for a proxy vote online. If you are not able to complete the online application, you can download a proxy vote application form from the Government website. You will need your National Insurance number to hand when applying to vote by proxy.

If you appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf, it is important to stress that the proxy will then need to vote at your allocated polling station in Rushcliffe. If they would prefer to vote by post then the proxy needs to fill in a postal proxy application form as well and this must be returned by the postal voting deadline of 5pm on Monday 14 April.

For more information about postal and proxy voting, visit The Electoral Commission website or call their helpline on 0800 328 0280.

Do you need support accessing your polling station?

If you have any accessibility needs when you visit your polling station, please let us know by emailing elections@rushcliffe.gov.uk or call us on 0115 981 9911.