Election resources

Local Elections

On Thursday 1 May 2025, local and mayoral elections will take place in many parts of England. We've pulled together some key resources including information on voter ID, college resources to support democratic engagement and information on pre-election period restrictions to help support you during this period.

Road to the General Election – influencing guide for colleges

Our ‘Road to the General Election’ guide is designed to support your influencing work. The guide has all the information you and your teams need to navigate campaigning and political engagement ahead of the next general election, including tips on holding hustings events with local candidates, supporting your students to get involved, and ensuring that you’re sticking to the rules. It is through this campaigning and the mobilisation of all our colleges that we will ensure the next group of MPs – and the parties they represent – understand the vital role that colleges play in communities across the country and become advocates for our sector.

Our public affairs team are on hand to answer any questions and support you the work you do engaging with your local MPs, and always keen to hear more about that. You can contact us on public_affairs@aoc.co.uk.

AoC Mayoral Elections guide

As of Thursday, May 2, 2024, nine regions in England, encompassing the main devolved city regions and three new mayoral areas, will be electing a metro mayor. Building on our 'Road to the General Election – influencing guide for colleges' published in summer 2023, which offered valuable resources for college campaigning, we acknowledge the continued relevance of those materials for the upcoming Mayoral Elections.

Recognising the need for a more localised context and an understanding of the distinct powers each mayor holds, we've developed a brief guide tailored to support your influencing efforts specifically for these Mayoral Elections in May.

Devolution guide

With the devolution agenda developing at pace, AoC wants to support you to best engage, whether you’re further along in the process or just getting started. This guide will provide an overview of the current devolution picture and the challenges and opportunities for colleges.

How to hold a hustings

Hustings are a great opportunity for candidates to see the important role that your college plays as an anchor institution in your community and a great way to engage your students with elections. There are lots of different ways of organising and running these events, we’ve set out some key tips and questions that should be considered when organising your hustings.