Members who may be interested in applying can obtain an application pack, which includes an Application Form and the Selection Criteria agreed by London Region’s Candidates Committee, from London Mayor Returning Officer, c/o London Regional Office, 4 Cowley Street, London, SW1P 3NB or by phone 07956 374220 or, preferably, by email on [email protected]

Candidates have to submit a detailed application form with full particulars of their vision for London and their priorities for their first year in office as an elected Liberal Democrat Mayor. The deadline for applications is 6pm on Thursday 6th September. Applications should be sent by email to [email protected] or by post or by hand to the London Regional Office (address above).

On Sunday 9th September London’s Selection Committee will meet and put all the candidates through a rigorous series of tests, including a parliamentary by-election style interview.

The Selection Committee is chaired by the Chair of the London Regional Party, Sean Hooker, and comprises a cross-section of senior Party figures in London including an MP, a member of the GLA, the leader of one of our Council Groups and a representative of LDYS (Liberal Democrat Youth and Students), plus an experienced candidates’ assessor from outside London. The Selection Committee will seek to reflect the diversity of London’s population and our membership.

The shortlist will be announced on Monday 10th September.

The candidates will then campaign for the votes of London’s Liberal Democrat members. Candidates and their supporters will contact the members in person, by phone or by email.

There will also be two hustings when members can question the candidates, plus an online hustings which will be hosted on the members only website at login.libdems.org.uk

The first hustings will take place during the Party Conference (in Brighton from 16th to 20th September). The second will be on Saturday 6th October at 1.30pm at Oxford House, Derbyshire Street, Bethnal Green, London, E2 6HG (nearest tube: Bethnal Green).

The Mayoral Selection is taking place together with the process to select the Party’s candidates for the next European Parliamentary elections, and the hustings for both selections will be taking place together on 6th October.

Ballot papers will be sent to eligible members at the beginning of October. Every member of the Party in London has a vote unless they joined the Party after 1st July 2006 or unless they have not kept their membership up to date continuously in the last year.

The poll will close on 7th November and the result of the selection vote will be announced the following week.

Potential applicants who want more information should contact me on 07956 374 220 or [email protected]

Jonathan Davies is the Returning Officer for the London Mayor selection and the Senior Returning Officer for the European selections in England.