Statutory Instrument 1987 No. 261

The Local Elections (Principal Areas) (Amendment) Rules 1987

---

© Crown Copyright 1987

Statutory Instruments printed from this website are printed under the superintendence and authority of the Controller of HMSO being the Queen's Printer of Acts of Parliament.

The legislation contained on this web site is subject to Crown Copyright protection. It may be reproduced free of charge provided that it is reproduced accurately and that the source and copyright status of the material is made evident to users.

It should be noted that the right to reproduce the text of Statutory Instruments does not extend to the Queen's Printer imprints which should be removed from any copies of the Statutory Instrument which are issued or made available to the public. This includes reproduction of the Statutory Instrument on the Internet and on intranet sites. The Royal Arms may be reproduced only where they are an integral part of the original document.

The text of this Internet version of the Statutory Instrument which is published by the Queen's Printer of Acts of Parliament has been prepared to reflect the text as it was Made. A print version is also available and is published by The Stationery Office Limited as the The Local Elections (Principal Areas) (Amendment) Rules 1987, ISBN 0110762614. The print version may be purchased by clicking here. Braille copies of this Statutory Instrument can also be purchased at the same price as the print edition by contacting TSO Customer Services on 0870 600 5522 or e-mail:customer.services@tso.co.uk.

Further information about the publication of legislation on this website can be found by referring to the Frequently Asked Questions.

To ensure fast access over slow connections, large documents have been segmented into "chunks". Where you see a "continue" button at the bottom of the page of text, this indicates that there is another chunk of text available.

This Statutory Instrument has been made to remove ambiguities from S.I. 1986/2214 and is being issued free of charge to all known recipients of that Statutory Instrument.

1987 No. 261

REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE

The Local Elections (Principal Areas) (Amendment) Rules 1987

In exercise of the powers conferred upon me by section 36(2) of the Representation of the People Act 1983^[1] , I hereby make the following Rules:—

    1.—(1)  These Rules may be cited as the Local Elections (Principal Areas) (Amendment) Rules 1987.

    (2)  These Rules do not extend to Scotland or Northern Ireland.

    (3)  These Rules shall come into force on the fourteenth day after the day on which they were made, except for the purposes of an election at which the last day for the delivery of nomination papers was on or before that fourteenth day.

    2.—(1)  The rules in Schedule 2 to the Local Elections (Principal Areas) Rules 1986^[2] shall be amended in accordance with the following paragraphs.

    (2)  In rule 23(5) (notices in polling stations) for the words "Vote for .......... candidate(s) only." there shall be substituted the words "[Vote for no more than .......... candidates.] [Vote for one candidate only.]" .

    (3)  In the Appendix of forms, in the form of a candidate's consent to nomination, in paragraph (d), before the words "those twelve months" there shall be inserted the words "the whole of" .

    (4)  In the Appendix of forms, in the form of the front of the ballot paper, for the words "VOTE FOR .......... CANDIDATE(S) ONLY" there shall be substituted the words "VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN .......... CANDIDATES" .

    (5)  In the Appendix of forms, in the directions as to printing the ballot paper, for paragraph 2(a) there shall be substituted:
"(a) no word shall be printed on the face except the direction "VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN .......... CANDIDATES" or, where only one candidate is to be elected, "VOTE FOR ONE CANDIDATE ONLY" and the particulars of the candidates;" .



    (6)  In the Appendix of forms, in the form of the declaration of identity, for the words "Vote for .......... candidate(s) only." in paragraph 2 of the instructions to the voter on the back of the form, there shall be substituted the words "[Vote for no more than .......... candidates.] [Vote for one candidate only.]" .

    (7)  In the Appendix of forms, in the form of the elector's official poll card, for the words "Vote for .......... candidate(s) only." on the back of the card, there shall be substituted the words "[Vote for no more than .......... candidates.] [Vote for one candidate only.]" .

    (8)  In the Appendix of forms, in the form of directions for the guidance of the voters in voting, for the words "Vote for .......... candidate(s) only." in paragraph 4, there shall be substituted "[Vote for no more than .......... candidates.] [Vote for one candidate only.]" .

Douglas Hurd

One of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State
Home Office

25th February 1987

These Rules amend the Local Elections (Principal Areas) Rules 1986 to remove a possible ambiguity from the directions to voters as to the number of candidates for whom they may vote. The original direction was "Vote for .......... candidate(s) only" ; (the blank space being filled according to the number of vacancies to be filled). The direction was intended to indicate the maximum number of candidates for whom a voter could vote. However, a voter could also construe the direction as indicating the minimum number of candidates for whom he could vote. The substituted direction for use where more than one vacancy is to be filled ("Vote for no more than .......... candidates" ) removes this ambiguity.

Rule 2(3) amends the form of a candidate's consent to nomination to make it clear that a candidate whose qualification rests on residence in the area of the local authority during the twelve months before the date of his nomination and the day of election must have been so resident during the whole of that period.

[1] 1983 c. 2. back

[2] S.I. 1986/2214. back