Local Elections | BCP Council Area 2023

The information on this page is for the benefit of member councils in the BCP Council Area.

The contents are relevant for the lead up to and immediately beyond 4 May 2023 when local elections will be held. We have worked alongside BCP Elections Team to create bespoke communications for your parish / town so that you can help deliver a successful election day for your community.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact mailto:daptc@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk or mailto:elections@bcpcouncil.gov.uk

Scroll down this page for templates and supporting documents for the immediate period after the election. 

Resources and useful links:

Important Date:

Prospective Candidate Briefing event for Parish elections

Thursday 23 February 2023, from 6:15pm (following a session for Local election candidates), at Christchurch Hub & Library, 29 High Street, Christchurch BH23 1AW.

So we can manage numbers, we will be asking people to let us know which session they are attending by emailing candidates.agents@bcpcouncil.gov.uk


The following links can also be accessed through your interactive 2023 Election Toolkit:

BCP Local and Parish Council Elections Webpage

BCP Democratic Services Webpage

Electoral Commission Guidance for Parish Council Elections (England) 

Contacts for enquiries

All election specific enquiries from candidates should go to candidates.agents@bcpcouncil.gov.uk  and any general queries from Parish Clerks or members of the public should go to elections@bcpcouncil.gov.uk  

 

2023 Election Toolkit | Post Election Templates

2023 Election Toolkit by Parish

Burton & Winkton Parish Council 

Christchurch Town Council

Highcliffe & Walkford Parish Council 

Hurn Parish Council

Throop & Holdenhurst Parish Council - next elections in May 2027

Post Election Templates

Declaration and Acceptance of Office

Confirmation of Email / Contact Details

Register of Interest Submission 

Training for new and returning elected members

Naturally some councils may organise an in-house briefing and awareness session post election. You can plug any gaps in your own plans by using some of the courses DAPTC we run. We use third parties for subject matter expertise in areas like council finance, communications, social media, GDPR and Freedom of Information. We also produce training course with our partners in different formats to suit your learning style and to fit with your busy schedules!

If individual councils wish to organise training for whole council in person or online, we have a number of formats that may suit and where we can discuss a bulk purchase discount to make the training even more cost effective:

E-learning: WATCH VIDEO

These courses are undertaken by the individual councillors in their own time. Clerks will need to register councillors for the module and they will be issued with a unique login. The modules take minimum 45 minutes up to 65 minutes and include a short/ simple assessment at the end to check understanding of the topic.

Bespoke Video Bite-sized Topics:

On request we can prepare bite-sized video recordings on specific topics which can be played ahead of a council meeting and that last between 15-30 minutes. We would provide you with a link or download of the video to play locally. Just email any requests to daptc@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk

 

New Councillor Training

A packaged approach for maximum value for newly elected members, watch this short video to explain how it works. WATCH VIDEO

E-learning 

A variety of topics including one specifically on Standards in Public Life which covers Code of Conduct and Interests and Introduction to Local Councils which is ideal for newly elected councillors or as a refresher. WATCH VIDEO

Finance Training for Councillors

This provided by The Parkinson Partnership and are nationally run courses. You book direct at a discounted rate as you are members of DAPTC. They cover a range of topics for new councillors through to seasoned pros!