Federation elections: a reminder

21 January 2025

West Mercia Police Federation chair Steve Butler has reminded members wanting to stand for election as a workplace representative that their nominations must be submitted by Friday (24 January).

The Federation’s elections, which involve all branches in England and Wales, got underway on 30 December when the nominations opened for workplace representatives.

“Now is the time for any member – be they a constable, sergeant, inspector or chief inspector, or a Special – who wants to get involved in the Federation to put themselves forward for election as a rep,” says Steve.

“As I have said before, it is often the case that the best workplace representatives are those who have been motivated to give something back after being supported by the Federation or an individual rep in the past.

“But, and this is particularly important now, when there has been a lot of scrutiny of the Federation nationally, I would also like to see some of those who have been critical getting more involved too. It can be easy to stand on the sidelines, moaning about what the Federation does or doesn’t do, but the better thing to do would be to get involved and become part of the change you want to see within the organisation.

“Whatever people’s motivation though, now is the time to act. There are just a few days left until the nomination period ends so if you are even the slightest bit interested, please take the time now to find out more and decide if you could be a workplace rep.”

Federation branches across the country are making a special plea to members from under-represented groups to consider putting themselves forward to become reps to help better reflect the diversity of the membership.

Voting for workplace reps will take place between 3 and 23 February with the results being announced on 27 February.

Diversity

Successful local candidates will form the West Mercia Police Federation Branch Council and can then seek election to the executive, the Branch Board, and further down the line to regional and national positions.

Members can not only vote for their choice of workplace reps but also the local branch chair, in May, and over the summer, the national chair. The elections process will be completed by 1 October 2025 when the new National Board will be in place.

Information on the first round of elections for workplace reps, including how to self-nominate and how to vote, has been emailed to all members.

If you have any further questions, please contact the Federation office or speak to a workplace representative.

Find out more about the role of a workplace representative.

More details about the election process can be found in the December edition of our members’ magazine.