Leeds Beckett Students’ Union is hosting one of the biggest democratic events of the year in March, the Leadership Elections! If you haven’t gotten involved yet, this is your moment!  

The elections provide an opportunity for discussions around student issues and for you to elect your representatives for the 2025/26 academic year. They directly impact your university experience at Leeds Beckett and give you a chance to have your say! To ensure you are well-informed and ready to participate in the elections, please familiarise yourself with the following key details: 
 

What are the Leadership Elections? 

The elections allow students to choose their representatives, including 2 full-time Officers and 8 part-time School Officers, who will represent their peers, fight for student rights, and help shape the future of the Students’ Union's activities and policies. This year, the elections will take place on the 11th and 12th of March where you’ll be encouraged to speak to candidates on campus, read their manifestos and vote online.  

Roles open for nominations 

As part of our new strategy, community organising is at the heart of everything we do. We work closely with students from different schools and different backgrounds to ensure that all students are fairly represented and that we have strong communities in place at Leeds Beckett. To facilitate the development of more student leaders across all our communities, the number of full-time Officers has been reduced from 4 to 2 in order to create 8 new part-time roles. Recent changes to the structure of these roles were voted on and approved at the Student Members’ Meeting on 10th December. The roles open for nominations are as follows: 

Full-time roles: 

• Undergraduate Officer: Open only to undergraduate students, focusing on representing the undergraduate student voice within the University and externally. 

• Postgraduate Officer: Open only to postgraduate students, focusing on representing the postgraduate student voice within the University and externally. 

Part-time roles: 

• School Officers: One voluntary position per school, open only to students within the respective school. These roles will form the Union’s Executive Committee alongside the full-time Officers and play an essential role in the Union’s decision-making processes, empowering student communities to campaign for the changes they want to see at Beckett. 

How can students nominate themselves? 

Students interested in running for a leadership position can submit their nomination via the Students' Union website here. They will need to provide a brief manifesto outlining their skills and experience that makes them suitable for the roles, as well as how they intend to contribute to the Students’ Union priorities. Nominations are currently open, and close at 3pm on Friday 14th of February. 

When and how will voting take place? 

Voting will take place online on the 11th and 12th of March. Students will be able to access the voting platform through the Students' Union website. Please note that: 

• Only undergraduate students can vote in the Undergraduate Officer election, and only postgraduates can vote in the Postgraduate Officer election. Similarly, School Officer elections are open only to students within their respective Schools. Candidates should consider their target demographic when planning their campaigning activities. 

• To address issues experienced in previous elections, training and support will be provided for all candidates to help ensure campaign activity remains respectful and within acceptable boundaries.  

What to expect during voting week 

While the voting and campaigning period has been shortened to reduce stress for candidates, the process will remain largely familiar. Candidates can distribute publicity materials, like posters, and voting will be conducted via our online platform on our website at www.leedsbeckettsu.co.uk/your-voice/elections. 

What happens after the Leadership Elections? 

• Transition period: Between March and July this year, elected candidates may occasionally attend training sessions or meetings before officially taking office. 

• Commencement of roles: All successfully elected candidates will take office on 1st July 2025. Full-time Officers will begin their responsibilities immediately, while School Officers will primarily commence their roles at the start of the 2025/26 academic year in September 2025. 

• Training and induction: Over the summer break, there will be training and induction activities for all roles. Full-time Officers will complete these activities as part of their regular working hours, while School Officers will have an estimated time commitment of around 2 days during that period. 

Why is it important to participate? 

Leeds Beckett Students’ Union is run by students, for students, and it’s important that as many of you as possible make your voice heard and engage in selecting your student leaders. These elections determine the leadership of the Students' Union, which plays a significant role in enhancing the student experience, campaigning on issues that matter to students and ensuring that insight gathered through our Community Organising work is heard and considered at all levels in the University. Encouraging participation ensures that the elected representatives truly reflect the needs and priorities of the student body.