Understand how your council works
Local councillors and elections
Local councillors are elected for 4-year terms by the local community to represent its views.
You can contact your local councillor online or by going to an advice surgery.
When local elections are held
Elections to councils are normally held on the first Thursday in May.
Some councils elect all of their councillors at the same time. Other councils elect half or a third of their councillors at each election. Read about the election timetable in England.
You can find out more about local council elections from the Electoral Commission.
Declaring interests
All local councillors have to declare any interests, gifts or hospitality they get that could influence decisions they make.
Your local council must publish details of these. You can usually access them on your council’s website or at the town hall.