How to become a councillor

To be a local councillor you must be at least 18 years old and a British, Commonwealth, or European citizen. You also need to be a local elector or have lived, worked or owned a property in the area for at least a year.

There are two main routes to becoming a councillor by standing for a political party / group or as an independent at an election.

You must make sure you are officially nominated as the election date draws near. This means getting 10 people to sign nomination papers (signatories must be registered electors in the ward where you wish to stand). Co-option is where the council chooses to fill the vacant seats if there are not enough candidates at election time.

Councillors should work together to serve the community.