General - Becoming a Councillor

Become a Conservative Borough Councillor - A uniquely rewarding experience.

Becoming a Conservative Councillor gives you the opportunity to help your local community whilst also being part of a team providing valuable and appreciated services for local residents. Being a Conservative Councillor also allows you to develop many different sides of your personality.

The opportunity to improve at speaking in public, to debate and to persuade fellow Councillors. The opportunity to use skills in negotiation when working with council officers to solve constituents' problems. Although training will be offered to you as a new Councillor, you will find that your skills will improve quite naturally. If you really believe in what you say you will find yourself persuading others effortlessly.

Best of all, as a Conservative Councillor you will find that the more involved you are the more enjoyable and rewarding the work becomes.

Are you someone who wants to improve the area in which you live?

If so, you are an ideal candidate to become a Conservative Councillor.

The Conservative Party is the largest Party in local government and there are currently more than 7000 Conservative Councillors and our influence in local government is steadily increasing. However, this progress can only continue if people are willing to stand for election and become Councillors.

The Role of a Councillor

Councillors have many functions, but the four principal ones are:

Decision-making - The policies and general direction of a council are debated and agreed by the elected members. Councillors then play a crucial role in scrutinising those policy decisions once they have been implemented and in monitoring the council's performance across a whole range of areas.

As a result of the Local Government Act 2000, most Councils (including Swindon) now operate a 'Cabinet' system. This means that while the full Council still agrees the policy framework and general direction of an authority, power rests largely with the Executive or 'Cabinet' appointed by the Council. In some areas, people have voted for a directly-elected Mayor (which should not be confused with the traditional ceremonial mayor) who then appoints a Cabinet with whom he or she works closely.

The number of members of a Cabinet will vary from authority to authority, but it will include the Leader of the Council and the senior Councillors responsible for particular aspects of policy/service delivery (housing, education, environment). These 'portfolio holders', who work closely with Council officers, are then responsible for the specific details of their brief and for ensuring the implementation of agreed policy decisions/manifesto commitments. These decisions affect the level and quality of services received by the people you represent, they will have significant effect on the way the Council operates.

Even if you are not a member of the Cabinet, you will still have a very important role to perform. As well as attending and speaking at full meetings of the council, you will probably sit on one of the committees that scrutinise the Cabinet's decisions. You may also be asked to sit on important decision-making bodies such as the planning or licensing committee as well as various other committees and outside bodies.

Representation - Councils are divided up into electoral areas called wards or, for County Councils, divisions. These will usually cover a few thousand households (although the size varies from authority to authority). Some wards are represented by a single Councillor, others have more than one representative (usually two or three no more than three).

Your most basic - some would say most important - role as a Councillor is to represent your constituents. This applies to every Councillor - whether they are the Leader of the Council or a newly-elected back-bencher. The public will expect you to represent them on a range of issues. For example, a proposal to locate a mobile phone mast in your ward or a contentious planning application will cause considerable concern within the community and your electorate will expect you to give a lead and speak up for them.

Staying in touch - In order to represent your constituents effectively, you will need to keep in constant touch with them to find out their concerns.

Helping your constituents - Your constituents will contact you with requests for help and you will receive lots of post and phone calls. You may also run a regular surgery, which is a time for people to talk to you in person.

In terms of helping your constituents with their problems, you are not expected to be familiar with every single detail across a whole range of policies (although as you gain experience you will inevitably become more knowledgeable). Your job is to represent your constituents' concerns to the Council - either via officers or the elected member responsible for that particular area of policy - and to try to get the problem solved.

You will not be able to solve every single problem but you should be able to make a difference to many of those who request your help. However, you should bear in mind that many people contact their local Councillor for help on issues that are not the responsibility of a local authority. Councillors should do what they can to put such people in touch with other agencies who can help them to sort out their problems.

Eligibility

The North Swindon Conservative Association is responsible for selecting candidates, so you should contact them (click on link on the left) if you are interested in becoming a Councillor. Before doing so, however, it is important to check that you are legally able to stand for election.

To become a Councillor you must:

• A British subject or a citizen of the Irish Republic or the European Union and resident in the United Kingdom.
• Over 18.
• On the electoral register for the council area in which you are seeking election, or living or working in that council area for at least the last twelve months.

You will not be able to stand for election if:

• You hold a paid office or other place of profit in the gift of the council.
• You are an undischarged bankrupt or have made an arrangement with creditors that ended less than five years ago.
• You have been convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to not less than three months imprisonment (including a suspended sentence) in the last five years.
• You can also be disqualified from holding office if you have incurred illegal expenditure (when acting as a Councillor) of over £2,000 and if you have been found guilty of corrupt or illegal practices under the Representation of the People Act (1983) or the Audit Commission Act (1998).

What to expect once you have been elected

Term of Office - You are elected as a member of the council for four years. The only exceptions to this are if you are elected in a by-election (in which case you will face reelection when the seat that you represent would normally come up for election) or in exceptional circumstances (for example, following extensive boundary changes).

Code of Conduct - The conduct of Councillors is formally governed by a national Code of Conduct (with scope for some local variations), which every council in the country has adopted and which every Councillor has to abide by.

Your Declaration of Acceptance of Office requires you to abide by the Code of Conduct and you are legally obliged to register your interests within 28 days of taking office (these details will be open for public inspection). The Code of Conduct is enforced by your council's own Standards Committee and the national regulatory body, the Standards Board for England.

Training - Most local authorities provide extensive training for new councillors and some even run courses for prospective candidates.

Support - As a Councillor you will rely heavily on council officers to provide you with information on both general and specific matters. You are most likely to turn to officers when you need information in relation to a constituent's enquiry, but they will also provide administrative support in relation to any committees that you sit on and indeed anything else that relates to your role as a Councillor.

In terms of secretarial support, it is unlikely that you will receive much assistance. You are also unlikely to have your own office (although Swindon Council does have a Members' Room). However, the Conservative group does employ a political assistant, you may use a Council laptop and your telephone expenses are covered to help you carry out your duties.

In a sense you will become public property, your name and address are published so that they are available to the public. Your time commitment will depend on the extent of your involvement, your political activities and what role you take in the Council. Most councilors serve on at least two committees as well as the full council. Bear in mind the preparation for meetings, agenda and papers will be sent to you in advance. Also consider the time spent at your regular surgeries.

An understanding employer is a definite advantage, although you may be entitled to some time off under Section 50 of the Employment Rights Act (1996). If you are self-employed ensure that your business can allow you time for council duties.

The time spent on Council business - preparing for and attending meetings, dealing with casework, etc - will be anything from a few hours each week to a few hours each day. Some periods will be less busy than others - for example, most Councils scale down meetings during the summer (although your constituents will continue to contact you!). As a rough guide, it has been estimated that Councillors spend on average 16 hours per week on council business, or 35 days per year. (University of Birmingham, Institute of Local Government Studies, 1998).

Although the time commitment may appear daunting, the key thing to remember is that the vast majority of Councillors (from all parties) are volunteers who do manage to juggle their role as a local representative with the competing demands of family, work and numerous other commitments.

The financial cost - Being a Councillor should not leave you out of pocket. Allowances, which vary from council to council, are paid to all Councillors. The yearly basic allowance (which is subject to tax) is paid in monthly installments and is designed to cover 75% of the time you devote to your duties. You may also claim expenses to cover the costs you incur in your role as a Councillor - travel to and from and attendance at meetings etc. (The Council will provide stationary, business cards and perhaps computing equipment).

You should also be able to claim for travel or subsistence allowances when you represent the council at external events (e.g. special conferences and meetings). The Council will also provide a special responsibility allowance to those who undertake additional duties (to members of the Cabinet, the chairmen of council committees, etc).

Being a Councillor allows you to pursue your political beliefs and contribute to your community. It can be a career enhancing-activity, allowing you to develop leadership and analytical skills, as well as to obtain practical, managerial work experience. Many MP's also begin their political careers in local government.

Becoming a Conservative Councillor is an important achievement. Most Councillors enjoy the fact that they have the opportunity to take decisions that will improve and shape the quality of life in their local community. Having the opportunity to represent constituents and speak and act on their behalf is a unique privilege.