Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their plans to allow local council candidates to avoid their home addresses being disclosed on official notices and ballot papers will be optional; and whether candidates not wishing to state their home address will be given the alternative of stating in which local government ward they reside, similar to the provisions for parliamentary candidates.

The Government is committed to removing the requirement for candidates standing as local councillors to have their home addresses published on the ballot paper. This requirement will be replaced with an option to include a statement of residence based on an electoral area the candidate lives in rather than having to include a specific address, in line with the provisions in place for candidates at UK parliamentary elections. We are currently working through the detail in discussion with relevant stakeholders, including what level of location information is appropriate, and how the provisions will be implemented in practice.