Regional council elections

Voting closes on 11 September 2025 for the 10 English regional councils. Find out more about the elections and what your regional councils do.

Location: UK
Audience: All doctors
Updated: Monday 28 July 2025
Ballot box article illustration

BMA policy in your region

With all that is happening across the NHS at the moment, these elections are the perfect opportunity to ensure you have your say in BMA policy-making activities at a regional level. Your regional council reps will help shape and take forward BMA policy.

Elected members of your regional council will play an active role in representing your branch of practice, locality and region. They will be involved in influencing and taking forward BMA policy on the priorities for the next three years from 2025-2028 across your region, including: 

  • doctors pay and pensions
  • NHS privatisation and the future of healthcare
  • addressing the workforce crisis
  • learning lesson from government, NHS, and wider health sector reports and enquiries.

The regional council is the only pan-branch of practice committee in a region, with the responsibility to support and enable regional branch of practice committees, and to coordinate political activity and campaigns across the area.

Read more about the benefits of becoming an active member

Regional council composition

The regional councils have a three-year term ending in summer 2028 and have 23 seats for direct election (three of whom are elected via UK Council elections). The newly elected members will serve a three-year term for the sessions 2025-26, 2026-27, and 2027-28.

Regional council meetings will normally be held at least four times per year and dates will be provided to successful candidates. At least half the meetings will be virtual.

Members elected will be joined by chairs of regional branch of practice committees and other local representatives. The election process includes rules and constraints to ensure a fair distribution of members.

Voting members are elected according to the following categories:

  • branch of practice 
  • gender
  • locality within the region.

All members are bound by the BMA code of conduct.

There are ten English regions:

  • East of England
  • East Midlands
  • London
  • North East
  • North West
  • South Central
  • South East coast
  • South West
  • West Midlands
  • Yorkshire

 

 

Eligibility

You must be a BMA member in the region you are standing/voting in.

Your locality will be based off your BMA registered division, which is linked to your primary address on your BMA membership profile. If you need to update your address, please visit the MyBMA section of the BMA website. Please note that it may take up to 48 hours for any changes to your address to sync with the BMA elections system.

The election process includes rules and constraints to ensure a fair distribution of members. For more information please see the election guide for your regional council, which can be found on the BMA online elections portal when accessing the nominations form for this election.

 

 

How to nominate and vote

You can nominate and vote via the BMA’s online elections portal.

Nominations

Open: 12 noon Friday 25 July 2025.

Close: 12 noon Friday 22 August 2025.

Voting

Opens: 12 noon Tuesday 26 August 2025

Closes: 12 noon Thursday 11 September 2025

 

Results

Results will be published soon after the close of voting.