Become a councillor
Councillors are elected to local councils to represent their community. They should provide community leadership and serve and represent everyone in their ward.
They are responsible for:
- making decisions about the local area
- representing their ward
- developing and reviewing council policy
- scrutinising decisions taken by other councillors
- other administrative and legal duties
How to stand in an election
There are rules about:
- who can be a candidate
- how you become a candidate
- how you can campaign
Read the Electoral Commission guidance on:
- local government elections in England
- parish council elections in England (this includes town council elections)
- council elections in Scotland
- local elections in Wales
- community council elections in Wales
- local government elections in Northern Ireland
Get help with becoming a councillor
You can find advice and resources from:
- Be a Councillor, if you want to be a councillor in England
- Local Councillor, if you want to be a councillor in Scotland
- Be a Councillor Wales, if you want to be a councillor in Wales
- NALC (the National Association of Local Councils), if you want to be a parish or town councillor