From the moment you begin campaigning, whether you are an official candidate for an Election or before, it is likely that people will share information about themselves which you MUST consider to have been shared in trust. Whether there are laws or regulations that cover your conduct as a councillor once you have been elected, … Continue reading Data Protection (GDPR)
Category: How To Get Elected: 2. Things you need to know
By Elections
A normal election or civic cycle for a local authority is a term of 4 years. At the end of each cycle or term, often all, but sometimes a proportion of a council’s total number of seats will be automatically vacated and put back up for election. Where authorities run more than one cycle, each respective … Continue reading By Elections
Multiple Seat Wards & Divisions
Surprising as it may sound, it is sometimes the case that more than one, and perhaps as many as 6 or even more councillors will represent the same electoral area for the same authority in a multiple seat Ward or Division. Having a multiple number of seats for the very same election can make life … Continue reading Multiple Seat Wards & Divisions
Get to know your local Democratic or Electoral Services Department
We all love to hate authorities (until we are part of them that is!). But whatever the Council you hope to be elected to represent your Ward or Division on, it is essential that you get to know the role of the Democratic Services or Electoral Services Department at your local District Level Authority, which … Continue reading Get to know your local Democratic or Electoral Services Department
If the Election is in May, you need to get started
When you have access to all the information about the next local elections in your area, it will be easy to see the election process itself as being between the date that the election is officially called which is usually at the end of March, and Election Day itself, which is usually the first Thursday … Continue reading If the Election is in May, you need to get started
The Tiers of Government – An Overview
One of the things we often overlook, is that there is a series of different local, regional and central government authorities to which anyone eligible can be elected as a member, which have responsibility for different parts and areas of government delivery. Once you begin campaigning, you will quickly understand that many voters do not … Continue reading The Tiers of Government – An Overview
Unitary Authorities
In some areas, the roles and responsibilities of Parish & Town and/or Borough & District and County Councils have been amalgamated and made the responsibility of one local authority for that area. The areas they cover typically correspond with a Borough/District Boundary or a County Boundary, but could mirror the area covered by a multiple … Continue reading Unitary Authorities
County Councils
County Councils make up the highest tier of local government and provide a range of public services which are typically more strategically focused, as opposed to the more ‘day-to-day’ nature of the work of District Level Authorities. Their area of control usually corresponds with the geographical boundaries of Counties. Councillors are elected to County Council … Continue reading County Councils
Borough or District Councils (District Level Authorities)
Borough or District Councils provide the administrative hubs of local government. They oversee and manage a wide range of the public services that voters experience on a regular basis and hold key responsibilities for our local environment. Councillors are elected to Borough or District Council Seats as Representatives of ‘Wards’. Wards typically cover the same … Continue reading Borough or District Councils (District Level Authorities)
Parish & Town Councils
Arguably the most accessible form of Government in the UK today are local Parish & Town Councils. They are also the most diverse, in terms of their size, the regularity of when they meet, their budget, and the assets and activities which they have responsibility for. Typically Parish & Town Councils only exist within rural … Continue reading Parish & Town Councils
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