Regional council elections

Voting closed on 12 September 2022 for the ten English regional councils. Find out who was elected and what your regional councils do.
Location: UK
Audience: All doctors
Updated: Thursday 5 December 2024
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, you 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 2022-2025 across your region: 

  • doctors pay and pensions
  • NHS privatisation and the future of healthcare
  • addressing the workforce crisis
  • learning lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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. 

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Regional council composition

The regional councils have a three-year term ending in summer 2025 and have 26 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 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25.

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

Officers will be elected over the coming weeks and are elected by the newly formed regional councils.

Find out more about the regional councils