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Returning Officer Statement & Call for Nominations

28/04/2026

Returning Officer Statement & Call for Nominations

As Returning Officer, I confirm that in accordance with the Keele UCU Branch Rules and UCU principles of democratic, transparent, and fair elections:

• Single‑seat officer roles will be elected by secret ballot using a simple majority where contested.
• Committee places, where there are multiple vacancies, will be elected using Single Transferable Vote (STV) with the Droop quota.

This approach is consistent with UCU practice for representative bodies and is widely used across UCU branches for multi‑seat elections.
The voting method described above applies the requirements of Rule 9.3 of the Branch Rules and reflects established UCU practice.

With the continued aim of bringing Keele UCU back to full force and reducing the pressure currently falling on a limited number of members, nominations are invited for the following positions.

Single‑seat officer roles defined in the Branch Rules

  • President
  • Deputy President
  • Branch Secretary
  • Treasurer

Additional single‑seat officer roles formed by branch practice

  • Membership Secretary
  • Equalities Officer
  • Health and Safety Officer
  • Section Representative Co‑ordination Officer
  • PGR Representative Officer
  • Communications Officer

In addition, nominations are invited for ordinary committee members, up to the maximum number permitted under the Branch Rules. The number of committee members elected will depend on the number of valid nominations received.

For full details of these roles, https://www.keeleucu.co.uk/committee-members/roles-and-activities/

Nomination requirements

Nominations must be submitted in writing to the Returning Officer no later than 28 days before the AGM, and must include:

  1. Name of the nominee
    – As they wish it to appear on the ballot and in the results
  2. Role(s) being stood for
    – Clearly specified (e.g. Committee Member, President, Equalities Officer)
    – Members may stand for more than one role
  3. Written consent of the nominee
    – A simple statement is sufficient, for example:
    “I confirm that I consent to stand for election and that I am eligible as a member of Keele UCU.”
  4. Candidate statement (optional)
    – Maximum 250 words
  5. Details of two supporting members
    – The two supporting members will be contacted and must confirm that they support the nomination.

Deadlines

The AGM has been called with a date: 4th June 2026 at 1300BST

Deadline for nominations will be:

  • 7th May 2026 1300BST
  • All nominations submitted to tims@keeleucu.co.uk.
  • Nominations received after this time will not be accepted
  • Supporting members will be verified by the returning officer as nominations are received.

Once nominations are received and counted methods on any required voting will be announced by the Returning Officer with voting opening prior to the AGM and closing at the start of the AGM 4th June 2026 1300BST.

In solidarity,

Sent on behalf of the Returning Officer, Timothy Smale

UCU branch committee