Become a Councillor
At the last election on Thursday 2nd May 2019, seven Councillors were elected, leaving one vacancy which could be filled by co-option.
The co-option process offers the opportunity for those who are interested in the community and who can contribute to the planning for the future of the village to stand as a councillor, filling one of the existing vacancies. Altogether we can have up to eight councillors covering the village.
It doesn't cost you anything to stand for co-option, with details available within this site, from the Parish Clerk and from the Electoral Services team at Blaby District Council on how to let the Council know you would like to be co-opted.
Being a Parish Councillor offers you a real opportunity to influence the growth of your village and your parish, the development of your wider community and improvement of your local surroundings.
ABOUT
There are 10,000 local (town and parish) councils in England, with 100,000 councillors serving their communities. You can be one of them.
If you have a local council in your area you can stand for election and become a councillor. You don't need to be a member of a political party or have any background in politics. You just need to be passionate and want to make a positive change to make life better for others.
The next local elections are in May 2019.
WHAT ARE LOCAL COUNCILS?
A local council is a universal term for community, neighbourhood, parish and town councils. They are the first tier of local government and are statutory bodies. They serve electorates and are independently elected and raise their own precept (a form of council tax).
WHAT DO LOCAL COUNCILS DO?
Local councils represent their communities giving them a voice and democratic structure to take action and improve their local area.
Some typical issues local councils get involved with are; planning, crime, road and highways, playgrounds, allotments, burial grounds, transport, housing, saving public assets, open spaces and general civic duties.
FIND YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL?
To find your local council, contact your principal authority or county association.
GETTING ELECTED
To stand for election to a local council you must:
- Be a UK or Commonwealth citizen; or be a citizen of the Republic of Ireland; or be a citizen of another Member State of the European Union
- Be at least 18 years old
- Be an elector of the local council; or in the past 12 months occupied land or other premises in the area the local council serves (as owner or tenant); or work in the area local council serves (as your principal or only place of work); or live within three miles of the local council boundary.
GETTING CO-OPTED
Local councils also have a mechanism to co-opt councillors onto their council. This usually only happens when the person who wants to put themselves forward for co-option has a certain set of skills, which can benefit their community.
To put yourself forward for co-option contact your local council.
HOW MUCH TIME DOES IT TAKE?
NALC's Councillor Census Survey found on average that 70% of councillors spend 1 – 15 hours per month on council duties.
Local councils usually meet once a month for a meeting. Meetings typically run between two and three hours, depending on what is on the agenda.
Some local councils may also have committees to deal with specific subjects, such as finance and/or planning.
HOW LONG CAN YOU SERVE AS A COUNCILLOR?
Once elected, councillors can sit on the local council for four years. If they want to continue in the post they can stand for re-election.
This does not mean that you have to stay for four years. If you find it's not for you, or you can no longer meet the commitment, you can stand down at any time.
Useful documents/links
Parish Council Elections - May 2019
For details on the parish council elections, please see details via this link on the Blaby District Council website.
How to become a parish councillor (PDF, 153 Kb)
This guide gives you a brief insight into parish and town councils, as well as providing specific advice and information on how to become a parish councillor.
The toolkit includes the following information:
•Introduction to town and parish councils
•Being a councillor
•Am I qualified
•How to become a councillor
•Further information and case studies"Being a local councillor" (PDF, 945 Kb)
Being a local councillor leaflet.
Be a Councillor (Government Website)
Whatever needs changing in your neighbourhood, you could be just the person to change it by becoming a local councillor. No other role gives you a chance to make such a huge difference to quality of life for people in your local area.
It takes all sorts (PDF, 5.2 Mb)
This booklet, developed by the National Association of Local Councils in conjunction with the Be A Councillor campaign, highlights the experiences of just a few of the many councillors on local councils and serves to show how rewarding representing your community can be. This (second) edition contains six new local councillor case studies. Each councillor gives their reasons for becoming a local councillor in the first place, what motivates them to remain in their community role and what they want to achieve as local councillors in the future.
Power To The People: What Are Local Councils? (PDF, 1018 Kb)
Parish, town, community, neighbourhood and village councils are often referred to as local councils. They are a type of local authority.
Like other types of local authorities, local councils are involved in delivery of services and facilities for the public.
There are over 9,000 local councils in England. A local council enjoys a wide range of statutory powers related to the provision or support of certain services or facilities which generally benefit the residents who live in its area.
Local councils need active, interested and committed people to become councillors and get involved in their work.
This section briefly explains:
• how local councils fit into the structure of local government
• what a local council is
• examples of local council activities
• different sizes, different priorities
• the role of a local councillor
• how local councils make a difference
Access to Elected Office for Disabled People Fund
The Access to Elected Office for Disabled People Fund offers individual grants to disabled people who are planning to stand for election.
The grants help meet the additional support needs that a disabled person has that are associated with their disability and their participation in a range of activity which is essential to participating in the selection and election processes. Without this support, a disabled person may face an additional barrier in the selection and campaign processes compared with a non-disabled person.
Please follow this link for more information on the fund and how to apply.
Code of Conduct (MS Word, 71 Kb)
Details of the Code of Conduct which Councillors (Members) are held to