Guidance

May 2026 Elections: guidance on conduct for civil servants (HTML)

Updated 2 March 2026

1. On Thursday 7 May 2026 elections will be taking place to the Scottish Parliament and to the Welsh Senedd. There will also be elections to a number of Local Authorities in England, including all London Borough Councils, and for some directly elected Mayors.  Annex A lists the areas affected.

2. This guidance applies to civil servants in UK Government departments, and the staff and members of non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) and other arm’s-length bodies (ALBs).

3. Civil servants (including special advisers) and Ministers should be aware that the activities of the UK Government could have a bearing on matters relevant to the elections.

4. Special care will need to be exercised in relation to the Devolved Governments from Thursday 26 March for the elections to the Scottish Parliament and Wednesday 8th April for the elections to the Welsh Senedd. Separate conduct guidance has been circulated in the Devolved Governments.

5. Special care should also be taken in the three weeks preceding the Local Authority and Mayoral elections - from Thursday 16 April.  This guidance does not apply to Local Authorities, who are subject to their own restrictions. The period of sensitivity for Local Authorities holding elections is different to that for the UK Government^{[footnote 1]}

Government Business

6. These elections are different from a UK general election. The UK Government will remain in office whatever the outcome of the elections.   UK Government Ministers, including the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Wales, will continue to carry out their functions in the usual way.  Civil servants will continue to support their Ministers in their work. Subject to the principles set out below, UK Government business can continue.

7. However, it needs to be borne in mind that the activities of the UK Government could have a bearing on the election campaigns. Particular care will need to be taken during this period to ensure that civil servants conduct themselves in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service code. Care also needs to be taken in relation to UK Government announcements and other public actions which could have a bearing on the elections. In particular, civil servants are under an obligation:

a)    to ensure that public resources are not used for party political purposes; and

b)    not to undertake any activity that could call into question their political impartiality. It is important to remember that this applies to online communication, such as social media, in the same way as other activity.

8. A clear distinction should be maintained between official government business, which can continue subject to the guidance below, and activity which is related to electoral campaigns.  Any activity related to  election campaigns is party political and a matter for the party, and must not receive official support.   Officials should not be asked to provide new arguments for use in election campaign debates.

9. In all cases essential business, which includes routine business necessary to ensure the continued functioning of government and public services, must be allowed to continue.

Announcements and decisions

10. Particular care should be taken over official support, and the use of public resources, for announcements (including funding announcements) and other public actions by the UK Government that could have a bearing on matters relevant to the elections.

11. Such a bearing may arise, for example:

• Where there is a specific local or geographical dimension to an announcement;
• Where an announcement could have a particular impact on an area or areas where elections are being held;
• Where an announcement relates to matters which are likely to be raised in election campaigns, or which are linked to the functions and responsibilities of the authorities or administrations for which elections are taking place.

12. Ministers will wish to be aware of the potential sensitivities in this regard and might decide, on advice, to postpone making certain announcements until after the elections. Obviously, this needs to be balanced carefully against any implication that deferral itself could influence the political outcome.

13. Each case should be considered on its merits. The Permanent Secretary, as Accounting Officer for the department, is ultimately responsible for the use of departmental resources and must be content with the use of departmental resources in respect of announcements and decisions during this period.  Advice can be sought from the Propriety and Ethics Team in the Cabinet Office.

14. Departments should also carefully consider the timing of decisions and announcements in relation to large and/or contentious commercial contracts, grants or other uses of public funds which could have a bearing on matters relevant to the elections. In some cases it may be better to defer an announcement until after the elections. This would need to be balanced carefully against any implication that deferral could itself influence any election outcome.

Ministerial visits and events

15. The basic test of whether a Ministerial visit is for government purposes must be satisfied if official resources are being used in support. Departments should take particular care in respect of proposed Ministerial visits (and associated activity including communications activity) to areas that are holding elections. Visits to areas that are not holding elections could also, in some circumstances (e.g. a proposed visit to a neighbouring area), have a bearing on matters relevant to the elections. All such proposed visits (and any associated activity, including communications activity) should be considered on a case by case basis and the Permanent Secretary should be satisfied with the use of departmental resources.

16. Departments should be mindful of pre-election guidance for police forces in England and Wales issued by the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

17. Official support (including from special advisers) must not be given to visits, events or meetings that are undertaken for party political purposes or campaigning purposes.  Any visits undertaken for party political or campaign purposes should be arranged and paid for by the political party.

18. Where there are cases of doubt, guidance should be sought from your Permanent Secretary’s office, who may then seek advice from the Cabinet Office.

19. As always, Ministers should be mindful of their obligations as set out in Chapter 10 of the Ministerial Code relating to UK visits^{[footnote 2]}.

Communication activities

20. Government communications teams should take account of this guidance when planning and delivering communications activities that will take place during the election periods. Additional care should therefore be taken around announcements, visits, press, marketing, digital and social media activity concerning devolved or local issues.

21. As always, all communications activity must be in line with Government Communication Service propriety guidance. Care should be taken with official websites, including GOV.UK, and use of social media that will be scrutinised closely by the news media and the political parties during the election period.

22. Special care should be taken in respect of paid publicity campaigns and to ensure that publicity is not open to criticism that it is being undertaken for party political purposes (including campaigning purposes).

23. In cases of doubt, guidance should be sought from the Government Communication Service^{[footnote 3]}in the Cabinet Office.

Use of Government property

24. Government property should not be used by Ministers or candidates for electioneering purposes.

25. In the case of NHS property, decisions are for the relevant NHS Trust, but should visits be permitted to, for example, hospitals, it should be on the basis that there is no disruption to services and that the same facilities are available to all candidates. Care should also be taken to avoid any intrusion into the lives of individuals using the services. The decisions on the use of other Local Authority properties should be for those legally responsible for the premises. Where it is decided to agree to such visits, the key principle is that the same facilities should be available to all candidates, and that there is no disruption to services. NHS England publishes its own information to NHS organisations about the pre-election period.

Schools

26. The Department for Education has published guidance for schools on political impartiality during political events, and guidance specifically relating to the pre-election period.

Legislation

27. UK Government departments should carefully consider the handling of primary legislation that includes provisions on devolved matters during the election period. For Scotland and Wales it is not possible for the respective executives to seek their legislature’s consent for provisions in UK Government Bills that require Legislative Consent Motions during the election period as the legislatures will either be in recess or dissolved. This is also likely to be the case for a number of weeks after the elections during the formation of governments and parliamentary committees.

28. Departments with Bills containing provisions that may impact on the Devolved Governments or engage the Legislative Consent Motions process should therefore discuss the position with the Union and Devolution Directorate and the Parliamentary Business and Legislation Secretariat in the Cabinet Office, and the Scotland Office and Wales Office and their policy contacts in the relevant governments.  Further guidance may be sought from the Union and Devolution Directorate in the Cabinet Office.

Handling of requests for information

29. There should be even-handedness in meeting information requests from candidates from the different political parties. The aim should be to respond to requests from candidates (including mayoral candidates) and campaigners as soon as possible.

30. Where it is clear that a candidate’s request is a Freedom of Information (FoI) request it must be handled in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The Act requires public authorities to respond to requests promptly and in any event not later than 20 working days after the date of receipt. Where it is clear that it will not be possible to provide a quick response, the candidate should be given the opportunity to refine the request if they wish so that it can be responded to more quickly.

31. Any enquiries from the media should be handled by Departmental Press Officers.

Public consultations

32. Public consultations with a particular emphasis on devolved or local  issues or  impact on areas where elections are being held, should generally not be launched during the pre-election period. If there are exceptional circumstances where launching a consultation is considered essential (for example, for safeguarding public health), advice should be sought from your Permanent Secretary’s office (who may then seek advice from the Cabinet Office).

33. If a consultation is ongoing during this period, it should continue as normal. However, departments should avoid taking action that will compete with candidates for the attention of the public. This effectively means not undertaking publicity or consultation events for those consultations that are still in progress, and which have a particular emphasis on devolved or local issues, or impact on areas where elections are being held. During this period, departments may continue to receive and analyse responses. Departments should also consider extending consultation periods beyond the election to allow all parties sufficient time to respond.

34. This is particularly important where a consultation will require the participation of the Devolved Governments or Local Authorities which are under their own pre-election restrictions during this period.

Statistical and social research activities

35. During the election period, statistical activities should continue to be conducted in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics and the Pre-release Access to Official Statistics Order 2008 (and / or the equivalent Orders made by the Devolved Governments in relation to devolved statistics), which should be read as though it is part of that Code. Regular pre-announced statistical releases (for example, press notices or bulletin publications) will continue to be issued and published. The principles set out here are not about restricting commentary from independent sources, for example academics who may also hold public appointments or non-executive roles in government departments or public bodies. It is for individual public bodies to apply this pre-election guidance within their own organisations, but in doing so they should not go beyond the principles set out in this document.

36. Social research activities should be in accordance with the Government Social Research (GSR) Code and supplementary guidance, including the GSR Publication Protocol^{[footnote 4]}. Requests for information should be handled in accordance with the principles set out in paragraphs 29-30 of this note and with the Code of Practice for Statistics. In cases of doubt, you should consult your departmental Head of Profession for Statistics (who should consult the National Statistician if clarity is required) or your departmental Head of Profession for Social Research.  The National Statistician, and the Government Economic and Social Research Team can be contacted for further guidance.

Appointments

37. Some appointments, including public appointments, made by UK Government Ministers could have an effect on the Scottish and Welsh Governments, for example where the remit of the body concerned is UK wide. Particular care should be taken in relation to any such appointments, and consideration given to postponing the appointment process where it has the potential to be controversial. Further advice on  appointments can be sought from the Propriety and Ethics Appointments Unit in the Cabinet Office.

Political activity

38. Political activity connected with Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd elections fall within the definition of national political activity. Political activity connected with council elections and mayoral elections falls within the definition of local political activity.

39. Detailed guidance on the restrictions on civil servants’ involvement in a private capacity in national and local political activity is set out in section 4.4 of the Civil Service Management Code^{[footnote 5]}, and in departmental staff handbooks.

40. As set out in the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers^{[footnote 6]}, special advisers should act in a way which upholds the political impartiality of other civil servants. They should not use official resources for party political activity. They are employed to serve the objectives of the Prime Minister, the Government and the Minister(s) for whom they work.

41. The rules on special advisers’ involvement in national and local  political activities are set out in the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.

• After consultation with their appointing Minister, special advisers who wish to take part in national election campaigns can do so in their own time and may not use annual or unpaid leave for the purpose of doing so.
• After consultation with their appointing Minister, special advisers who wish to take part in local election campaigns can do so in their own time and may not use annual or unpaid leave for the purpose of doing so.

Non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) and other arm’s-length bodies (ALBs)

42. This guidance applies to NDPBs and other ALBs.

43. It is for individual public bodies to apply this pre-election guidance within their own organisations, but in doing so they should not go beyond the principles set out in this document. Sponsor departments must ensure that staff and board members of their NDPBs and other ALBs are aware of the guidance and are applying the principles appropriately.

44. Sponsor departments should be consulted by the NDPB/ALB in cases of doubt.

Further advice

45. In cases of doubt, in the first instance you should consult your Permanent Secretary’s office. They may then wish to take advice from the Cabinet Office’s Propriety & Ethics team.

Cabinet Office

2 March 2026

Annex A

List of Elections Taking Place in May 2026

Elections are taking place to the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Senedd.

In England, elections are expected to take place to 6 county councils, 18 unitary councils including the new East Surrey, and West Surrey councils (replacing elections to 6 shire districts in Surrey), 32 London borough councils, 32 metropolitan district councils and 48 shire district councils. There will be 6 council mayoral elections.

Elections will also take place to some town and parish councils. Local Authorities (unitary councils, and district councils in two-tier county areas) can identify which town and parish councils are holding elections. There may also be by-elections to fill vacancies in any of the above posts where a scheduled election is not due.

County Council Elections

• East Sussex

• Essex

• Hampshire

• Norfolk

• Suffolk

• West Sussex

Unitary Council Elections

• Blackburn with Darwen

• East Surrey* (pending legislation)

• Halton

• Hartlepool

• Hull

• Isle of Wight Council

• Milton Keynes

• North East Lincolnshire

• Peterborough

• Plymouth

• Portsmouth

• Reading

• Southampton

• Southend-on-Sea

• Swindon

• Thurrock

• West Surrey* (pending legislation)

• Wokingham

London Borough Elections

• Barking and Dagenham

• Barnet

• Bexley

• Brent

• Bromley

• Camden

• Croydon

• Ealing

• Enfield

• Greenwich

• Hackney

• Hammersmith and Fulham

• Haringey

• Harrow

• Havering

• Hillingdon

• Hounslow

• Islington

• Kensington and Chelsea

• Kingston upon Thames

• Lambeth

• Lewisham

• Merton

• Newham

• Redbridge

• Richmond upon Thames

• Southwark

• Sutton

• Tower Hamlets

• Waltham Forest

• Wandsworth

• Westminster

Metropolitan District Elections

• Barnsley

• Birmingham

• Bolton

• Bradford

• Bury

• Calderdale

• Coventry

• Dudley

• Gateshead

• Kirklees

• Knowsley

• Leeds

• Manchester

• Newcastle upon Tyne

• North Tyneside

• Oldham

• Rochdale

• Salford

• Sandwell

• Sefton

• Sheffield

• Solihull

• South Tyneside

• St Helens

• Stockport

• Sunderland

• Tameside

• Trafford

• Wakefield

• Walsall

• Wigan

• Wolverhampton

Shire District Council Elections

• Adur

• Basildon

• Basingstoke and Deane

• Brentwood

• Broxbourne

• Burnley

• Cambridge

• Cannock Chase

• Cheltenham

• Cherwell

• Chorley

• Colchester

• Crawley

• Eastleigh

• Epping Forest

• Exeter

• Fareham

• Gosport

• Harlow

• Hart

• Hastings

• Havant

• Huntingdonshire

• Hyndburn

• Ipswich

• Lincoln

• Newcastle-under-Lyme

• Norwich

• Nuneaton and Bedworth

• Oxford

• Pendle

• Preston

• Redditch

• Rochford

• Rugby

• Rushmoor

• South Cambridgeshire

• St Albans

• Stevenage

• Tamworth

• Three Rivers

• Tunbridge Wells

• Watford

• Welwyn Hatfield

• West Lancashire

• West Oxfordshire

• Winchester

• Worthing

Local Authority Mayoral Elections

●     Croydon

●     Hackney

●     Lewisham

●     Newham

●     Tower Hamlets

●     Watford

*The new East Surrey, and West Surrey councils will replace elections to six shire districts in Surrey: Elmbridge, Mole Valley, Tandridge, Reigate and Banstead (to be replaced by East Surrey Unitary Council), Runnymede, Woking  (to be replaced by West Surrey Unitary Council).

1. The period of heightened sensitivity for local authorities (Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity) is the period between the posting of notice of an election locally and the election itself. The posting of notice must be no later than 25 working days before polling day. ↩

2. Chapter 10 Ministerial Code ↩

3. Government Communication Service Propriety Guidance ↩

4. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-goverment-social-research-code https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-social-research-publication-protocols ↩

5. Civil Service Management Code ↩

6. Code of Conduct for Special Advisers ↩