What's the role of a councillor?
Councillors are responsible for agreeing policies about provision of services and how the council's money is spent. Councillors do this by attending and chairing various committee meetings. For details of committees and panels that councillors attend, please visit our Modern.gov committee management information system.
Councillors decide which policies the council should pursue, ensure that they are carried out and monitor services provided to ensure that they are delivered in the most efficient and effective way.
The local councillor is there to represent the views and opinions of individuals. It is also his or her responsibility to help those with difficulties which the council could help solve.
Councillors are elected by the community to decide how the council should carry out its various activities. They represent public interest as well as individuals living within the ward in which he or she has been elected to serve a term of office.
To do this they have regular contact with you through either council meetings, telephone calls or surgeries. Surgeries provide an opportunity for any ward resident to go and talk their councillor face to face and these take place on a regular basis.
Your councillor will discuss any concerns or problems relating to council services and listen to your views on issues that you feel are important.
Councillors are not paid a salary for their work, but they do receive allowances. You can find how much money our councillors receive in allowances.
By law, all members of the council are required to complete a Declaration of Interest form, the details of which are published annually.