ICAEW Council Elections FAQs

Any member with a registered address in an election constituency as of the Qualifying Date is eligible to stand, vote and nominate a candidate in the election. Also, registered and confirmed members of specified Faculties and Communities at the Qualifying Date are also able to stand, nominate and vote in non-geographical constituencies.

The Qualifying Date for the 2025 Council Elections was Monday 7 October 2024. Your election constituency or constituencies are specified in 'My Details' on your member profile.

• Check that you are eligible to stand in any of the constituencies listed in the election notice. Check that you have a 10-year clean ICAEW disciplinary record. If you are eligible, read the council member role profile to understand the role and what's required of Council members.
• Submit the candidate statement that can be found in the Council Election Portal, on the online nomination site. (You will need to log in to the ICAEW first).
• Your candidate statement will be reviewed to check eligibility. Usually this is confirmed within 2 working days, and your name will appear as a provisional candidate on the election portal.
• Once you are confirmed as a provisional candidate, you must find five ICAEW members from your constituency to nominate you. Nominators do this via the election portal. Current office holders cannot nominate a candidate in the elections.
• Your candidate statement and five nominations must be received by 12 (Noon) UK-time 9 December 2024.

• By 17 December 2024 – Returning Officer Committee review of nominations
• 20 December 2024 – Announcement of election result if uncontested
• 20 December 2024 – Inform contested candidates of ballot
• 17 February 2025 – Issue of voting papers for contested elections
• 4 March 2025 (12 Noon UK-time) – Closing date for receipt of voting papers
• 13 March 2025 – Returning Officer Committee review of ballots results and appeals
• 14 March 2025 – Formal announcement of Council election results
• April 2025 – Induction begins
• 3 June 2025 – First Council meeting

You can complete your application via the online nomination system from 5 November 2024 at icaew.com/councilelections.

All candidates must submit a candidate statement in the standard template available on the nominations site. You are advised to complete all sections of the template. If you leave a section blank, it will appear as such in your final statement. There is no word limit, but we suggest 200 per words per section as a guide. Brevity is advised to keep the statement effective and focused.

When we receive a candidate's application the Governance Office reviews it to make sure it's been completed. The candidate's disciplinary record is also checked to confirm eligibility including an external background check.

Subject to these stages being completed satisfactorily, a candidate's application becomes a Provisional Candidate. The candidate will be notified of this, and nominators will be able to nominate the candidate.

The Returning Officer must not accept any nomination which:

• is incomplete or which is received after the deadline for nominations; or
• in the opinion of the Returning Officer Committee, represents a potential for conflict of interest to the extent that, in managing this conflict, the member may be unable to fulfil the role of Council member to the standard that would be reasonably expected by the members. For further information on conflicts of interest, please review the 'Declaration of Interest Policy'

The Governance Office will check all nominations to ensure candidates belong to the constituency where they wish to contest elections. A disciplinary check will be conducted to ensure there are no adverse findings in the last 10 years that might disqualify the member from joining Council. Once, this check is complete, the candidate's name will appear on the nomination site to members in the constituency and they are deemed to be a Provisional Candidate.

Your candidacy will be confirmed in full once the Returning Officer Committee have reviewed and approved your application in full. We will email you to confirm that you are an Approved Candidate.

Candidates need five nominators. The nominators must be full ICAEW members and their registered address must be in the same constituency as the nominee at the Qualifying Date (7 October 2024).

Nominators can register their support via the online nomination system once the Governance Office has satisfactorily completed an initial review of the candidate's statement to ensure it's been completed and the candidate's disciplinary record checked ie, once the candidate is confirmed as a Provisional Candidate.

The Governance Office will let candidates know when this stage is completed. Nominators will need their membership number and password to access the system. The deadline for nominations is 12 (Noon) UK-time 9 December 2024.

No, you can only nominate ONE candidate per geographical constituency even if there are multiple seats available.

The completed application should be received by the Governance Office by 12 (Noon) UK-time on 9 December 2024.

All rules and guidance can be found in the Council Election Regulations.

All changes and information can be found in the Council Election Regulations.

No, only ICAEW members are eligible to stand, vote, and/or nominate in Council elections.

If the election goes to ballot, voting will open at 12 (Noon) UK-time on 17 February 2025. Members eligible to vote will receive a voting email.

You will be able to vote online from 12 (Noon) UK-time on 17 February 2025 to 12 (Noon) UK-time on 4 March 2025.

Voting closes at 12 (Noon) UK-time on 4 March 2025.

ICAEW will confirm results of the election to candidates by email. Results will also be published on ICAEW.com/councilelections on 14 March 2025

Council members are expected to attend all Council meetings. To give an indication of the time commitment, in 2025 Council meetings will take place on:

• 23 January (virtual)
• 26 February (virtual)
• 25 & 26 March
• 29 April (virtual)
• 30 May (virtual)
• 3 & 4 June
• 1 July (virtual)
• 10 September (virtual)
• 7 & 8 October
• 13 November (virtual)
• 9 December

In addition to meeting attendance, members should allocate time for pre-reading, preparation, and participation in regular Council briefings. Members may also be asked or may volunteer to join Task and Finish groups or work on specific projects.

New members will receive a comprehensive induction, both before their first Council meeting and throughout their first year, to prepare them for their Council duties. Additionally, they will participate in the ICAEW Council buddying scheme to provide support during their first year in post.

Yes, a Faculty-elected Council member is expected to join the Faculty Board to ensure effective, two-way communication between the Faculty and the Council. This involves attending three to four Faculty Board meetings per year, in addition to the Council meetings listed above and fulfilling the obligations of a Faculty Board member as set out in their Terms of Reference. Please check with your Faculty Board secretary for full details.

Yes, a Community-elected Council member is expected to join the Community Advisory Group to facilitate effective, two-way communication between the Community and the Council. This involves attending approximately four meetings per year of the Community Advisory Group, as well as the Council meetings listed above.

No, each member may stand for ONE Council seat only.

No, each member can only nominate one candidate in each Election.

Yes, you can vote in each constituency of which you are a member at the Qualifying Date (Monday 7 October 2024)