OpenLegislation

Section 70 Effect of default in election agent’s appointment.F1C1C2C3C4

United Kingdom

(1)

If no person’s name and address is given as required by section 67 above as the election agent of a candidate who remains validly nominated at the latest time for delivery of notices of withdrawals, the candidate shall be deemed at that time to have named himself as election agent and to have revoked any appointment of another person as his election agent.

(2)

If—

(a)

the person whose name and address have been so given as those of the candidate’s election agent (not being the candidate himself) dies, and

(b)

a new appointment is not made on the day of the death or on the following day,

the candidate shall be deemed to have appointed himself as from the time of death.

(3)

If the appointment of a candidate’s election agent is revoked without a new appointment being made, the candidate himself shall be deemed to have been appointed (or reappointed) election agent.

(F23A)

The deemed appointment of a candidate as his own election agent may be revoked as if it were an actual appointment.

(4)

Where a candidate is by virtue of this section to be treated as his own election agent, he shall be deemed to have his office—

(a)

at his address as given in the statement as to persons nominated F3(or where, in the case of a parliamentary election, the address is not given on that statement, the address as given under rule 6(4) of Schedule 1 to this Act) ; or

(b)

if that address is outside the permitted area for the office, at the qualifying address of the person (or first person) named in that statement as his proposer.

(F44A)

In relation to a candidate who is deemed by virtue of this section to be their own election agent at an election of councillors to a county or county borough in Wales, subsection (4) does not apply and the candidate’s office is instead deemed to be—

(a)

in a case where the candidate’s home address given under rule 9(2)(b) of Schedule 1 or 2 to the Local Elections (Principal Areas) (Wales) Rules 2021 is in England or Wales, at that address, and

(b)

otherwise, at the candidate’s qualifying address as stated under rule 9(2)(c) of Schedule 1 or 2 to those Rules or, where more than one qualifying address is stated, at the first of those addresses.

(F55)

Where in a local government election in Scotland a candidate is by virtue of this section to be treated as the candidate’s own election agent, the candidate’s office is deemed to be—

(a)

where the candidate has given a correspondence address in accordance with rule 4(11B) of schedule 1 of the Scottish Local Government Elections Order 2011, at that address, or

(b)

otherwise, at the address given under rule 4(10)(a)(ii) of that schedule.

(6)

The appropriate officer on being satisfied that a candidate is by virtue of this section to be treated as his own election agent, shall forthwith proceed to publish the like notice as if the name and address of the candidate and the address of his office had been duly given to him under sections 67 and 69 above.

(F67)

In the case of a parliamentary election, subsection (6) above applies whether or not a statement has been made under rule 6(5) of Schedule 1 to this Act requiring the candidate's home address not to be made public.

(F78)

In relation to a candidate who is deemed by virtue of this section to be their own election agent at an election of councillors to a county or county borough in Wales, subsection (6) does not apply and instead sections 67 and 69 apply with the following modifications.

(9)

Section 67 applies as if the name and address of the candidate had been declared in writing to the appropriate officer under subsection (1) of that section.

(10)

Section 69 applies as if—

(a)

the address at which the candidate’s office is deemed to be had been declared to the appropriate officer under subsection (1)(a) of that section, and

(b)

subsections (1A) to (1C) and (2) of that section were omitted.

Annotations

Textual amendments

F1

S. 17(1) substituted (29.1.2001 for certain purposes and 16.2.2001 otherwise) by 2000 c. 2, s. 8(a), Sch. 1 para. 10; S.I. 2001/116, art. 2(1)(2) (with art. 2(4))

F2

S. 70(3A) inserted by Representation of the People Act 1985 (c. 50, SIF 42), s. 24, Sch. 4 para. 23

F3

Words in s. 70(4)(a) inserted (4.9.2009) by Political Parties and Elections Act 2009 (c. 12), ss. 39, 43(1), Sch. 6 para. 5(2); S.I. 2009/2395, art. 2 (with art. 3)

F4

S. 70(4A) inserted (10.3.2022) by The Local Elections (Miscellaneous and Consequential Amendments) (Wales) Regulations 2022 (S.I. 2022/263), regs. 1(2), 6(5) (with reg. 12(c))

F5

S. 70(5) substituted (30.10.2026) by The Scottish Local Government Elections (Election Agents, Expenses and Publication of Information) Amendment Order 2026 (S.S.I. 2026/318), arts. 1(1), 2(3) (with art. 1(3))

F6

S. 70(7) inserted (4.9.2009) by Political Parties and Elections Act 2009 (c. 12), ss. 39, 43(1), Sch. 6 para. 5(3); S.I. 2009/2395, art. 2 (with art. 3)

F7

S. 70(8)-(10) inserted (10.3.2022) by The Local Elections (Miscellaneous and Consequential Amendments) (Wales) Regulations 2022 (S.I. 2022/263), regs. 1(2), 6(6) (with reg. 12(c))

Modifications

C1

S. 70 applied (N.I.) by S.I. 1986/2250, regs. 2, 3, 5, Sch. 1 Pt. I

C2

S. 70 applied (E.W.S.) by S.I. 1986/2209, regs. 2, 3, 5(1)(6)–(8), Sch. 1 Pt. I

C3

S. 70 applied (with modifications) (1.8.2001) by S.I. 2001/2599, art. 3, Sch. 1 (as substituted (10.2.2009) by S.I. 2009/256, arts. 1(2), 3, Sch. 1)

C4

S. 70 applied (with modifications) (N.I.) (4.5.1996) by S.I. 1996/1220, art. 3(1)(5)-(8), Sch. 1

Notes on Part II

Modifications

C1

Pt. 2 (ss. 67-119) applied with modifications (E.W.) by The Parish and Community Meetings (Polls) Rules 1987 (S.I. 1987/1), Rules, 2, 6

Pt. 2 (ss. 67-119) applied with modifications (E.W.) by The Local Elections (Parishes and Communities) Rules 1986 (S.I. 1986/2215), Rules 2, 9 (which S.I. was revoked (2.1.2007) by S.I. 2006/3305, rule 1(4), Sch. 1)

C2

Pt. 2 modified (E.W.) (25.5.2018) by The East Suffolk (Local Government Changes) Order 2018 (S.I. 2018/640), arts. 1, 20(7)

C3

Pt. 2 modified (E.W.) (25.5.2018) by The West Suffolk (Local Government Changes) Order 2018 (S.I. 2018/639), arts. 1, 20(7)

C4

Pt. 2 modified (E.W.) (26.5.2018) by The Somerset West and Taunton (Local Government Changes) Order 2018 (S.I. 2018/649), arts. 1, 20(7)

C5

Pt. 2 modified (E.W.) (26.5.2018) by The Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole (Structural Changes) Order 2018 (S.I. 2018/648), arts. 1, 24(6)

C6

Pt. 2 modified (E.W.) (26.5.2018) by The Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole (Structural Changes) Order 2018 (S.I. 2018/648), arts. 1, 39(6)

C7

Pt. 2 modified (E.W.) (23.5.2019) by The Buckinghamshire (Structural Changes) Order 2019 (S.I. 2019/957), arts. 1, 18(6)

C8

Pt. 2 modified (E.W.) (14.2.2020) by The Northamptonshire (Structural Changes) Order 2020 (S.I. 2020/156), arts. 1, 20(8)

C9

Pt. 2 modified (E.W.) (14.2.2020) by The Northamptonshire (Structural Changes) Order 2020 (S.I. 2020/156), arts. 1, 20(14)

C10

Pts. 2, 3 applied (with modifications) (W.) (17.12.2021) by The Local Elections (Communities) (Wales) Rules 2021 (S.I. 2021/1460), rules 1, 6(1) (with rule 2)

C11

Pt. 2 modified (E.W.) (2.1.2007 for certain purposes) by The Local Elections (Parishes and Communities) (England and Wales) Rules 2006 (S.I. 2006/3305), rules 1(2)(3), 6 (as amended (10.3.2022) by The Local Elections (Miscellaneous and Consequential Amendments) (Wales) Regulations 2022 (S.I. 2022/263), reg. 1(2), Sch. 2 para. 6 (with reg. 12(d)))

C12

Pts. 1, 2 modified (E.W.) (10.3.2026) by The Surrey (Structural Changes) Order 2026 (S.I. 2026/264), arts. 1(1), 47(5)(11), 49(5)(11)