Councillors are elected by the community once every four years.
It's a voluntary role (you don't get paid), but you do get an allowance and the satisfaction of helping to make a difference in your community.
You don't need any formal qualifications, but you'll enjoy being a councillor if you're well-organised, and good at communicating and working with other people.
To stand for election, on the day of nomination you must be:
- aged 18 or over
- a UK citizen, an eligible Commonwealth citizen; or citizen of any member state of the European Union
For District council elections
- meet at least one of the following criteria:
- You are, and will continue to be, registered as a local government elector for the local authority area in which you wish to stand from the day of your nomination onwards;
- You have occupied as owner or tenant any land or other premises in the local authority area during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination and the day of election;
- Your main or only place of work during the 12 months prior to the day of your nomination and the day of election has been in the local authority area; or
- You have lived in the local authority area during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination and the day of election.
For Parish / Town council elections
- meet at least one of the following criteria:
- You are, and will continue to be, registered as a local government elector for the parish / town area in which you wish to stand from the day of your nomination onwards;
- You have occupied as owner or tenant any land or other premises in the parish / town area during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination and the day of election;
- Your main or only place of work during the 12 months prior to the day of your nomination and the day of election has been in the parish / town area; or
- You have lived in the parish / town area or within 3 miles of it during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination and the day of election.
You can't be a councillor if you:
- work for the council
- hold a politically restricted post in another authority
- are bankrupt
- have served a prison sentence (including suspended sentence) of three months or more, in the five years before election day
- have been disqualified under any legislation relating to corrupt or illegal practices
- have been a subject to the notification requirement of or under Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003
If you're not sure whether you're eligible to stand as a councillor, you should seek independent legal advice on the matter.
How to get started
Most people become councillors through being members of a political party, but you can also stand as an independent candidate.
Representing a political party
To represent a political party you'll need to:
- get involved with the party's local branch
- be selected as their candidate
Standing as an independent candidate
To stand as an independent candidate you'll need to:
- build your profile so that local people know who you are
- work out your position on the key issues that matter most to the community
The Local Government Association (LGA) independent group provides more advice on how to run as an independent.