Life as a District Councillor and how to become one

And after I have been elected

The role of the councillor is varied. The essential tasks and responsibilities shown below have been taken from guidance issued by the Local Government Association.

Representing the People

As a councillor you have been elected to represent your community. This will mean being the voice for your area and standing up for groups and individuals within that area, whether they voted for you or not. You will be expected to undertake enquiries on behalf of individual constituents with personal problems or concerns (known as 'casework') and, on occasions, surgeries and home visits. In your role as a community representative, you will need to be aware of the wider needs of the community, as well as individual concerns. You will also be responsible for communicating Council policy and decisions to people in your community. Whilst you will not be expected to be on duty 24 hours a day, you will need to manage constituents' enquiries in such a way that they feel you are available to listen to their views or concerns. For more information, it would be worthwhile speaking to a current councillor on how they manage their workload and keep in contact with their constituents.

Code of Conduct

One of the most important things to bear in mind is that, as soon as you have been elected, you will be open to public scrutiny, and expected to maintain very high standards when acting as a councillor. You must sign to agree to abide by the Council's Code of Conduct, the purpose of which is to ensure that councillors meet the highest standards of probity and accountability. The implications of this will be explained to you, as will the concept of declarations of interest.

Decision-Making

Councillors have a central part to play in making decisions that affect their ward and the district. Those councillors not on the Cabinet will be involved in decision-making through their participation at full Council meetings and membership of regulatory committees such as Planning or Licensing. In addition, you will be able to influence the Council's policies and strategies by participating in the Overview and Scrutiny Commission; other committees such as Governance & Audit and the General Purposes Committee, and by interaction with Cabinet members.

You will be required to attend Council meetings, which are held according to a yearly schedule

In addition, you will normally be a member of at least one of the committees. As a newcomer, familiarising yourself with committee work will take time but once established, you may be asked to take on extra commitments, such as becoming a member of the Cabinet or the Governance & Audit Committee.Details of the Council's committees and their membership may be found on our website. (opens new window)

Community Leadership/Forming Partnerships

A major element of a councillor's role is getting involved with the local community and passing on your knowledge and contacts through which residents can try to influence what happens in their environment. By working with other groups and organisations, you will be better equipped to serve your community. Creating links, and establishing good relations, with organisations such as the police and the health service, will make it easier to speak to them on behalf of your constituents. Effective partnership working is often a real challenge for all those involved, but councillors play a key role in ensuring that the interests of their communities are served by the numerous partnerships that exist across local government.

Political Accountability

As a councillor you will take part in collective decision-making and are therefore accountable for your actions. If you are part of a group within the Council, you will need to be prepared to answer for the actions of the group as well as yourself.

Representing the Council

A councillor can be asked to represent the Council on an outside body, for example an environmental management body or a charity. In some cases, you will be required to represent the views of the Council and report back to the Council on what has happened. Guidance will be provided for councillors serving on outside bodies.

Equality and Diversity

The Equality Act 2010 came into force on 1 October 2010 and gives protection from discrimination on grounds of race, gender, disability, age, religion and belief, sexual orientation and gender reassignment. Public bodies are required under the legislation to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between different people when carrying out their activities. Understanding equality issues and being aware of some of the steps the Council is taking to challenge inequality is a key part of a councillor's role.