Greater London Council Election Rules 1970
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
1970 No. 92
LONDON GOVERNMENT
REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE
The Greater London Council Election Rules 197022ndJanuary 1970
4thFebruary 1970
16thFebruary 1970
In pursuance of the powers conferred upon me by paragraph 14 of Schedule 3 to the London Government Act 1963(a) and by section 61 of the Local Government Act 1933(b) (as it has effect in relation to elections to the Greater London Council by virtue of paragraphs 10 and 11(1) of Schedule 2 to the London Government Act 1963), I hereby make the following Rules for the conduct of an election of councillors of the Greater London Council and of the chairman of the Greater London Council, and the following Regulations prescribing the form of declaration of acceptance of office by the chairman of the Greater London Council, or by an alderman or a councillor of the Greater London Council:—
1.—(1) These Rules and Regulations may be cited as the Greater London Council Election Rules 1970 and shall come into operation on 16th February 1970:
Provided that they shall not have effect in relation to an election notice of which has been published before that date.
(2) The Interpretation Act 1889(c) shall apply to the interpretation of these Rules and Regulations as it applies to the interpretation of an Act of Parliament.
(3) Any reference in any statutory instrument to a local elections rule shall, so far as it relates to the election of a councillor of the Greater London Council, be construed as a reference to the rule in Schedule 1 hereto (however numbered) dealing with the same subject.
2.—(1) The London Borough Council and Greater London Council Elections Rules 1963(d), the London Borough Council and Greater London Council Elections Rules 1964(e) and the London Borough Council and Greater London Council Election Forms Regulations 1964(f), so far as they relate to elections to the Greater London Council, are hereby revoked.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of this Rule, the Rules therein mentioned (which apply to the election of councillors of the Greater London Council) shall apply to any election notice of which has been published before these Rules and Regulations come into operation.
(a) 1963 c. 33.
(b) 1933 c. 51.
(c) 1889 c. 63.
(d) S.I. 1963/1864 (1963 III, p. 3455).
(e) S.I. 1964/454 (1964 I, p. 725).
(f) S.I. 1964/222 (1964 I, p. 402).
3. In the application of the local elections rules contained in Schedule 2 to the Representation of the People Act 1949(a) to an election of councillors of the Greater London Council, adaptations, alterations and exceptions shall be made therein so that the said local elections rules shall read as set out in Schedule 1 hereto.
4. The declaration of acceptance of office by the chairman of the Greater London Council or by an alderman or councillor of the Greater London Council shall be in the form in Schedule 2 hereto, or a form to the like effect.
James Callaghan, One of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State.
Home Office, Whitehall.
22nd January 1970.
SCHEDULE 1
ELECTION RULES
Arrangement of rules
PART I
PROVISIONS AS TO TIME
Rule
1. Timetable.
2. Computation of time.
3. Hours of poll.
PART II
STAGES COMMON TO CONTESTED AND UNCONTESTED ELECTIONS
4. Notice of election.
5. Nomination of candidates.
6. Subscription of nomination paper.
7. Consent to nomination.
8. Place for delivery of nomination papers.
9. Decisions as to validity of nomination papers.
10. Publication of nominations.
11. Withdrawal of candidates.
12. Nomination in more than one electoral area.
13. Method of election.
PART III
CONTESTED ELECTIONS
General provisions
14. Poll to be taken by ballot.
15. The ballot papers.
16. The official mark.
17. Prohibition of disclosure of vote.
18. Use of schools and public rooms.
(a) 1949 c. 68.
Action to be taken before the poll
19. Notice of poll.
20. Postal ballot papers.
21. Provision of polling stations.
22. Appointment of presiding officers and clerks.
23. Special lists.
24. Equipment of polling stations.
25. Appointment of polling and counting agents.
26. Declaration of secrecy.
The poll
27. Admission to polling station.
28. Keeping of order in station.
29. Sealing of ballot boxes.
30. Questions to be put to voters.
31. Challenge of voter.
32. Voting procedure.
33. Votes marked by presiding officer.
34. Voting by blind persons.
35. Tendered ballot papers.
36. Spoilt ballot papers.
37. Adjournment of poll in case of riot.
38. Procedure on close of poll.
Counting of votes
39. Attendance at counting of votes.
40. The count.
41. Re-count.
42. Rejected ballot papers.
43. Decisions on ballot papers.
44. Equality of votes.
PART IV
FINAL PROCEEDINGS IN CONTESTED AND UNCONTESTED ELECTIONS
45. Declaration of result.
46. The return.
PART V
DISPOSAL OF DOCUMENTS
47. Sealing of ballot papers.
48. Delivery of documents to clerk to the Council.
49. Orders for production of documents.
50. Retention and public inspection of documents.
51. Supplemental provisions as to documents.
PART VI
SUPPLEMENTAL
52. Countermand or abandonment of poll on death of candidate.
53. General duty of returning officer.
54. Interpretation.
APPENDIX
FORMS
Notice of election
Nomination paper.
Statement as to persons nominated.
Ballot paper
Directions for the guidance of the voters in voting.
Certificate of employment.
Declaration to be made by the companion of a blind voter.
PART I
PROVISIONS AS TO TIME
Timetable
1. The proceedings at the election shall be conducted in accordance with the following Table.
TIMETABLE
Proceeding Time
Publication of notice of
election … … … … … Not later than the twentieth day before
the day of election
Delivery of nomination papers … Not later than noon on the fourteenth day
before the day of election
Despatch of notice of decisions on
nominations and publication of
statement as to persons
nominated … … … … … Not later than noon on the thirteenth day
before the day of election
Delivery of notices of withdrawals
of candidature … … … … Not later than noon on the twelfth day
before the day of election
Notice of poll … … … … … Not later than the fifth day before the
day of election
Notice of appointment of polling
or counting agents … … … … Not later than the third day before the
day of election.
Polling … … … … … … On the day of election.
Computation of time
2.—(1) In computing any period of time for the purposes of the Timetable, a Sunday, day of the Christmas break, of the Easter break or of a bank holiday break or day appointed for public thanksgiving or mourning shall be disregarded and any such day shall not be treated as a day for the purpose of any proceedings up to the completion of the poll nor shall the returning officer be obliged to proceed with the counting of the votes thereon:
Provided that where under Part III of these rules a person ought to proceed with the preparation of specialists or the issue of postal ballot papers on the first or last days of the Christmas break, the Easter break or a bank holiday break, or on the Saturday in the Easter break, nothing in this rule shall absolve him from that duty.
(2) In this rule "the Christmas break" means the period beginning with the last week day before Christmas Day and ending with the first week day after Christmas Day which is not a bank holiday, "the Easter break" means in the period beginning with the Thursday before and ending with the Tuesday after Easter Day, and "a bank holiday break" means any bank holiday not included in the Christmas break or the Easter break and the period beginning with the last week day before that bank holiday and ending with the next week day which is not a bank holiday.
Hours of poll
3. The poll shall commence at eight o'clock in the morning and be kept open till nine o'clock in the evening of the same day and no longer.
PART II
STAGES COMMON TO CONTESTED AND UNCONTESTED ELECTIONS
Notice of election
4.—(1) Notice of the election in the form in the Appendix, or a form to the like effect, shall be prepared, signed and published by the returning officer.
(2) The notice shall be published by causing it—
(a) to be affixed to the town hall of the borough which constitutes or includes the electoral area and, if the electoral area includes the City of London, at the Guildhall of the said City; and
(b) to be exhibited at such conspicuous places in the electoral area as the returning officer may determine.
(3) The notice of election shall state the date by which application to be treated as an absent voter and other applications and notices about postal or proxy voting must reach the registration officer in order that they may be effective for the election; and in addition the registration officer shall give notice of the date in the electoral area by such means as he thinks best calculated to bring the information to the notice of those concerned.
Nomination of candidates
5.—(1) Each candidate shall be nominated by a separate nomination paper in the form in the Appendix, or a form, to the like effect delivered at the place fixed for the purpose.
(2) The nomination paper shall state the full names, place of residence and (if desired) description of the candidate and the surname shall be placed first in the list of his names.
(3) The description (if any) shall no exceed six words in length, and need not refer to his rank, profession or calling so long as, with the other particulars of the candidate, it is sufficient to identify him.
Subscription of nomination paper
6.—(1) The nomination paper shall be subscribed by two electors for the electoral area as proposer and seconder, and by eight other electors for that area as assenting to the nomination.
(2) Where a nomination paper bears the signatures of more than the required number of persons as proposing, seconding or assenting to the nomination of a candidate, the signature or signatures (up to the required number) appearing first on the paper in each category shall be taken into account to the exclusion of any others in that category.
(3) The...
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