Website and telephone payments Sunday 19 May
Our website and telephone payment systems are unavailable between 9am and 2pm on Sunday 19 May. You will not be able to pay for any council services on our website or over the phone during this time.
Guidance on becoming a councillor and who can and cannot stand for election.
Councillors work closely with communities to improve the lives of residents.
People become councillors for all manner of reasons. But most want to:
No specific qualifications are needed to become a councillor - life experience is the best thing to bring to the role. It is vital that members represent all sections of the community - we want to attract people from a broad range of backgrounds to stand as candidates.
You can either stand as an independent, or as a representative of a political party. If you want to represent a party, you will first need to join one and ask them to select you as their candidate for your area.
You cannot stand if you:
By becoming a parish councillor you become someone your community will look to for help, guidance and support - a community leader with the power to influence decisions for the benefit of the people you serve.
A parish council is a local authority that makes decisions on behalf of the people in the parish. A town council is a parish council that covers a town but has elected to call itself a town council.
You are expected to:
Councils meet regularly. Members of the public are also invited to attend these meetings - the length of meetings depend on what is on the agenda.
In addition to the regular meetings, councillors may be required to attend ad hoc meetings - for example with architects or agents to discuss planning applications that the council may comment on.
Once elected, parish councillors sit on the council for four years. If they then want to stay in the post, they can stand for re-election. This does not mean that you have to stay for four years. If you find it is not for you, or you can no longer meet the commitment, you can resign from the position.
The legislation relating to elections is extensive. Candidates are advised to familiarise themselves with the provisions.
For full details of the electoral process, including the nomination procedure, and more guidance on standing as a candidate, visit the Electoral Commission website.