Petition

Mandatory DBS checks for all candidates standing for local election in England

Rejected 21 signatures

What the petition asks

Require all candidates standing for local council elections across the UK to complete the appropriate criminal record check (DBS, Disclosure Scotland or AccessNI) before they can stand for office, regardless of political party or independent status, to strengthen safeguarding and public trust.
Require all candidates standing for local council elections across the UK to complete the appropriate criminal record check (DBS, Disclosure Scotland or AccessNI) before they can stand for office, regardless of political party or independent status, to strengthen safeguarding and public trust.

Why it was rejected

There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.

We already have a petition open on this subject, which you may wish to sign:

Mandate that all Council and Parliamentary Candidates have an Enhanced DBS check

Timeline

10 May 2026 Petition opened for signatures
8 Jun 2026 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 21
Status Rejected
Rejected 8 Jun 2026

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 27 Jul 2026.