Thinking of becoming a Dartford Borough Councillor?
Do you wish you could influence the way things are done in your area? Then why not become a Councillor?
Councillors are ordinary people from the borough, elected to represent one of 17 wards for a term of four years. Depending on its size, each ward has one, two or three Councillors, sometimes referred to as Members, to represent the interests of the residents. As a Councillor, you will act as the link between the public and the Council as a whole. Much of your time will be spent dealing with problems and questions from the community.
Ideally, Council Members should reflect the diversity of the population in the borough, with a wide range of backgrounds, interests and needs represented. Essentially, Council Members are all people who wish to improve the effectiveness of local services in the Dartford area and represent the views of the people of their ward.
Local government structure in England
How does the Borough Council fit in with all the other types of local and national government?
In London, as well as the Greater London Authority (the GLA), there are 32 London Boroughs and the Corporation of London. In the metropolitan areas, urban towns and cities (like Birmingham and Manchester); there are 36 authorities, known as the metropolitan borough councils. In the "shire" areas (this includes Kent) there are up to three different types of structure:
In the South East, we have Counties, Unitaries and Borough/District councils (plus Town and Parish councils). Dartford is one of 12 borough/district councils within the county of Kent. There is also 1 unitary authority (Medway) and 307 town and parish councils.
Unitary Authorities
There are 46 Unitary authorities, including Medway.
These authorities combine the functions of counties and borough/districts and are often (but not always) centred upon the larger towns and cities of England.
2 Tier non-unitary Structure
- 34 Counties
- 238 Borough/Districts
Here the functions are split between two tiers of local government with the counties being responsible for the more strategic functions and larger services such as Education and Social Services. Dartford is the district tier and Kent the county tier.
There is, though, a further tier which exists in some (but not all areas) regardless of whether an area has a County/District or Unitary structure - that of theTown and Parish councils, e.g. Swanscombe and Greenhithe Town Council and Stone Parish Council.
Responsibilities of the County Council include Education, Social Services, Fire, Highways, Libraries and Waste Disposal.
Functions of a Borough/District Council include collection of Council Tax and Non-Domestic Rates, Environmental Health and Housing.
Unitary authorities combine the functions of both the districts and the counties, with some duties being dealt with on a wider area basis by joint boards or partnerships between authorities.
Parish and Town Council responsibilities include bus shelters and public benches.
Becoming a Councillor
The majority of people become Councillors as a result of joining a Political Party. Some people, however, stand for election as Independents (candidates who do not belong to any Political Party), or on behalf of pressure groups, such as the Ratepayers' Association.
Standing as a Member of a Political Party
If you are thinking of standing as a candidate for a particular Political Party then you will need to be a Member of that Party's local organisation.You can contact the party offices of the locally active parties directly.
For more information on locally active political parties, or any others that you are interested in, visit the Register of Political Parties via the Electoral Commission's website at: www.electoralcommission.org.uk
Standing as an Independent Councillor
The Independent Group on the Local Government Association has prepared a "Handy Hints" guide for Independent Councillors and candidates. Contactthe following if you would like a guide:
Paul Ogden
Head of Independent Group
Local Government Association
LGA House
Smith Square
London SW1P 3HZ
Tel. 02076 643 224
- View the guide on their website at: www.picx.co.uk
How do you become a Councillor?
To stand for election, on the day of nomination, you must be:
- 18 or over;
- be a UK, EU or Commonwealth Citizen;
- be registered to vote or have either worked or lived in the electoral area for 1 year.
You cannot stand if you:
- work for your local Council or
- hold a politically restricted post for another Authority
- are bankrupt
- have served a prison sentence (including suspended sentences) of 3 months or more within 5 years prior to the election, or
- have been disqualified under any legislation relating to corrupt or illegal practices.
You do not need any formal qualifications to become a Councillor.
Unlike parliamentary elections, no financial deposits are required to run for council elections.
Nomination pack
Once you have decided to stand for election as a Councillor you will firstly need to wait for local elections to be called. The next scheduled Dartford Borough and Parish Council elections are in May 2011, unless a By-election is called in your area due to a Councillor resignation, retirement or death. In April 2011 you will need to be proposed and seconded by other electors and also have 8 further people as assentors to your nomination.
Full details of the electoral process including the nomination procedure, is available around election times upon request from Dartford’s Electoral Registration/Elections office:
Electoral Registration/Elections Office
Room C10
Civic Centre
Home Gardens
Dartford, Kent
DA1 1DR
01322 343426
electoral.registration@dartford.gov.uk
If elected, what support will you receive?
As a new Councillor, you will be invited to take part in an induction programme, introducing you to the workings of the Council. Training for Councillors continues throughout their term on a variety of relevant topics.
The professional officers working at the Council are available to assist you in any way they can, such as advice about Council procedures or problems in your ward. As all officers must be politically impartial, they cannot assist in any matter that could be seen as supporting a political party or pressure group.
How long will you be a Councillor for?
If elected, you will be a Member of the Council until you choose to retire or lose an election. This means you will serve a four-year term in between elections.
Councillor Allowances
Currently two types of allowances exist for councillors.
- Basic Allowance (paid to all councillors)
- Special Responsibility Allowance (paid to those councillors who carry out special duties such as being the chairman of a Committee or who are a member of the Executive)
Each local authority can decide how to pay these allowances but are required to set up independent panels to recommend local schemes of allowances. The Government has now been persuaded that access for councillors to the Local Government Pension Scheme should be allowed, at the discretion of each local authority acting on the advice of their independent remuneration panel. The new regulations came fully into force on 1 January 2004.
In addition, councillors can claim for travel and subsistence allowances.
Currently the basic allowance for a councillor in Dartford is £4557 per annum, but is subject to review.
Some councillors may spend each week between 12 and 15 hours on council work, but there are huge variations. Those with an executive or chairing role will have a greater workload.
Conclusion
If you have ever had concerns about the future of local services and felt that you could be a voice for your community in pursuing local interests, then why not consider becoming a councillor?
Those already working as Councillors in local government find the role interesting and challenging and there is the opportunity to specialise in a particular topic or area of interest.
However, do not expect to be able to change the world overnight.
Other sources of information
- Electoral Commission www.electoralcommission.org.uk
- Labour Party www.labour.org.uk
- Liberal Democrats www.libdems.org.uk
- Conservative Party www.conservative-party.org.uk
- Local Government Association www.lga.gov.uk
- Local Government Information Unit www.lgiu.gov.uk
- Improvement & Development Agency www.idea.gov.uk
- Audit Commission www.audit-commission.gov.uk
