Councillors are elected in local elections for four years and must have lived or worked in the area they represent for 12 months. Many Councillors have a full-time job as well as being a Member of the Council.
Councillors are not employees of the Council, but their main role is to represent their ward, or area, and the people who live there. A Councillor:
- provides a voice for and help to all members of the community
- makes decisions on behalf of residents
- contributes to council policy and strategy
- has responsibility for scrutiny (checking and monitoring what the council does)
- has regulatory duties (making sure laws are kept to, e.g. planning and licensing)
- is a community leader
What can a Councillor do for you?
- hold surgeries, where local people can ask for help or advice
- follow up on issues raised at these surgeries
- represent the community within the Council and to other organisations
- develop links with all parts of the community
- support local partnerships and organisations
- campaign on local issues
- win resources for the ward, e.g. money for local organisations or regeneration
More information on being a councillor can be found here.
Being a Borough Councillor is really interesting, and every week is completely different. Let me share with you my diary over a few weeks this summer to demonstrate just how varied the life of a Councillor can be.
One Tuesday morning found me on the way to Cambridge to attend a meeting as a member of the Environment and Resources Panel of the East of England Regional Assembly. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss a number of issues that have arisen out of the Environmental Capacity in the East of England Study. That evening I went to the final public meeting at the University of Hertfordshire for the Hertfordshire Charrette, an exercise designed to enable residents to discuss their visions for the proposed growth in Hertfordshire. More information can be found on the University website.
Unusually, the rest of that week was relatively quiet as far as the Council was concerned; I only attended a couple of briefing meetings with Council Officers to make sure that I was fully up to speed on various issues relating to my responsibilities within the Council. On the Saturday I went to the monthly Farmers' Market that is held on the first Saturday of each month (except January) in White Lion Square in Hatfield. This is a certified market, with some 60 stalls of produce and crafts. For more information on the Farmers' Market, click here.
On the following Monday I went to the Hertfordshire Infrastructure and Planning Partnership. This is a partnership of all local authorities in Hertfordshire, including the County Council, formed not as a decision-making body, but to focus on common planning and infrastructure issues facing Hertfordshire as a result of the East of England Plan.
Early Tuesday morning, and I was with the Council's Environmental Health team discussing a noise nuisance complaint that had been raised with me by a resident. That evening saw me at Planning Training, where fellow councillors and I learned about the processes that a planning application goes through from the time it is received in the Council Offices until a decision is made - very useful to know when talking to residents.
On Thursday I attended the Welwyn Hatfield Domestic Violence Forum. Domestic violence is one of those issues that can remain hidden, and it is important that we raise awareness in order to help victims.
I spent Friday with staff from the Council's Planning team and relevant officers from other parts of the Council at a workshop in connection with a new approach to Planning, known as Development Management. Welwyn Hatfield is one of eight pilot authorities engaged in this work.
The popular Continental Market came to Welwyn Garden City for three days over the weekend - the weather was atrocious on the Friday afternoon (as it had been when it came in July last year!), but fortunately improved on the Saturday and Sunday.
The following Friday I was at County Hall in Hertford, where the Annual Meeting of the East of England Regional Assembly was being held.
The next morning I had our monthly "Meet your Councillor" session - as no one came, I take it that all's right with the residents of Welwyn. After that I went as a volunteer to the Kaleidoscope Festival at Stanborough Lakes. The Kaleidoscope Festival is organised by the Welwyn Hatfield Ethnic Minority Group, with the support of members of the local community. The festival is a multicultural event highlighting and celebrating the cultural diversity found in Welwyn Hatfield.
So that's the life of a Councillor - well, almost. There are of course 'phone calls from residents and Officers to deal with, and on average I get some 25 emails a day.