This page gives information on the role of a Councillor and how to become one.
A Councillor is someone who is elected by local people to represent the residents of an area. This can be at parish or district level. When elected, the term of office is four years unless there is a by-election mid-term, when a Councillor will serve for the remaining period of the term of office.
The Council has developed role profiles for a District Councillor and a Parish or Town Councillor, which give an indication of what the roles entail.
All District Councillors currently receive a basic allowance of £5,254 per annum (which is taxable income) with additional payments if they have additional responsibilities such as the Chair of a committee. Parish/Town Councillors do not receive a basic allowance.
People become Councillors for a variety of reasons. Some want to "give something back" and, in their view, undertake public service. Others want to further their interest in politics. Many just want to represent local people and try to influence decisions affecting their area.
We have produced a document entitled Be a District Councillor, which gives more detail about becoming one.
The Warwickshire Association of Local Councils (WALC) has also produced a leaflet, which gives details about being a Parish or Town Councillor.
WALC also has further information on its website.
The elections on Thursday 2 May 2019 involve Stratford-on-Avon District Council, which has 36 Councillors, and all Parish and Town Councils in the area. There are currently 83 Town and Parish Councils. The number of Parish Councillors for each parish varies from five to 18 depending on their population size.
The elections office of Stratford-on-Avon District Council manages all local and national elections in the Stratford area. A Notice of Election will be published at the Council Offices (and in each parish) and on the Council's website telling you where and when to apply to be a candidate. For May elections the notice will usually be put up in the middle of March.
To become a candidate you must:
You don't need to be a member of a political party to be a Councillor. Anyone can stand as an independent candidate. In Parish and Town councils it is rare for candidates to stand as party candidates. For District Councils, most Councillors stand as party candidates (but you do not have to). To stand as a party candidate you must have a certificate from the political party nominating officer confirming that you are their candidate.
Contact details for local political parties are:
Conservative - Alex Hall a.hall@southwarwickshireconservatives.co.uk
Green Party - Pat Hotson hotsons@waitrose.com
Labour Party - Bob Malloy rjmall@aol.com
Liberal Democrat Party - Richard Vos stratforduponavonlibdems@gmail.com
UKIP - Frank Rietz frank.rietz@btinternet.com
By standing for election and letting electors know who you are and what you stand for, you are helping local democracy by giving voters a choice. If you get elected, you will know that you have the support of people who voted for you. However, it should be noted that, if elected, you represent all people in your area, even though some may not have voted for you.
If you are thinking of standing as a political party representative, you must contact the local branch of that party as soon as possible as they may be in the process of selecting candidates. If you are standing as an independent, you do not have to do anything until nearer the time when the Notice of Election is published.
An important time and date to put in your diary is 17:00 on Thursday 15 November 2018, when a Prospective Councillor Event is being held in the Council Chamber at the Stratford-on-Avon District Council Offices. You are most welcome to attend without obligation. The event will give more information about being a District Councillor and you will have the opportunity to ask questions. If you require any further information prior to this event, please email David Dalby, Democratic Services Manager, at david.dalby@stratford-dc.gov.uk or call him on 01789 260210.
© 2016 Stratford-on-Avon District Council
