Could you be a local councillor?

• Do you think things don’t get done in your local area or do they get done badly?
• Are you frustrated by a lack of action by the Council?
• Do you think you could do a better job than the current councillors?
• Would you love to make a positive difference for people in your town?
• Would you enjoy being involved in making things work better locally?
• Have you ever thought about being a candidate for election to the Council?

If you answered ‘Yes’ to a lot of these then you may be the sort of person we need to make local politics better.

Few people think of putting themselves forward for election to the Council. They think they don't know enough or feel nervous about speaking in public or think they don't have the time.

Being a councillor on the Council isn’t as difficult as it may seem. Once you are elected, people living in your ward may contact you from time to time, usually to ask questions or ask for advice. The majority of people will only require straight forward answers or you to report the matter through the Council's contact system. You'll have plenty of support from our other councillors.

There are some meeting to attend of course. Every councillor is expected to attend full Council meetings around 6 times a year. Some Councillors will also be expected to serve on one or two committees. Meetings usually last less than two hours although full Council meetings may take a bit longer. Councillors are sent the agenda and full briefing papers before every meeting to help them prepare. These papers are normally easy to understand, and there are others in our group who will always help you understand anything that you don't.

So, is there anything else you should know? Well, you do get rewarded for your work; all councillors receive a basic allowance of around £700/month and there are additional allowances paid for certain posts and for childcare or dependent care where necessary.

So, if you're interested in contributing to your local community by being a councillor, it's not at all daunting. Indeed, you’ll get real sense of achievement when you're getting things done for local people. It’s also quite easy to balance your work-life-council duties once you’re familiar with what’s involved.

Of course, you'll need to get elected first but that’s where your local Lib Dem party can help you, with funding, design of leaflets and people to help with campaigning.

 If you want to know more, contact us without any obligation at contact@stevenagelibdems.co.uk We'd love to hear from you!