Elections to Council

Elections - Professional Services

Eligibility

Professional Services Members of Staff

In line with our Ordinances, to be eligible to stand for election, you must:

• be a Professional Services member of staff
• have a contract of employment that commenced on or before 7 April 2026 (at least 20 working days prior to the call for nominations on 6 May 2026)
• have a contract of employment which extends to at least 31 July 2027

In addition, in line with our commitments to good governance through the Higher Education Code of Governance and under our obligations to the Office for Students, you must:

• be free from any conflicts of interest that might preclude you from serving as a governor and trustee of the University and meet the Office for Students' test of being a fit and proper person
• if you have not already done so, agree to complete all of the How We Work at Essex essential training modules and additional training modules for University Committee members, within four weeks of being appointed or prior to attending your first Council meeting or event, whichever occurs first
• agree that you will, on appointment, accept the Governor Code of Conduct

Nominations

Please download the guidance for Professional Services members of staff, which includes further information on the short forms that need to be completed as part of the pre-appointment process.

Submission

You will need to download and complete the following:

• Nomination form, including nominee declaration and personal statement (.docx)
• Fit and proper persons declaration (.docx)
• Fit and proper persons test (.pdf)
• Register of interests declaration (.docx)
• Equality and diversity monitoring form (.docx)

Next steps

The nomination form will need to be signed by two Professional Services members of staff, one of whom must be from a different section or area of work to you.

All completed forms must be submitted to the Governance Office by 12pm (midday) on Tuesday 19 May 2026, using this secure Box submission link. Please also email elections@essex.ac.uk to confirm your nomination has been submitted. All nominations will be acknowledged.

The fit and proper persons declaration form and test will be reviewed by the University Secretary, or their nominee, and assurance provided to the Nominations Committee. 

Election

Should an election be required for the appointment of a Professional Services member of staff, members who are eligible to vote will receive confirmation by email to their Essex email address. If an election is necessary, it will take place in late May/early June 2026.

Further information

Council normally meets in person, a minimum of four times a year, with at least one additional away day, and also holds a joint meeting with Senate each July.  Additional Special Meetings may also be scheduled. An induction day for new members is normally held in the Autumn Term.

You can find the meeting dates for Council and its committees in the annual diary of meetings, which is published each year.

Informal queries can also be submitted to the Governance Office, by emailing elections@essex.ac.uk