The basic allowance for a councillor depends on which authority or council they sit on. At Parish this is zero. District is £4,720. County is £7,700. For District and County there are special allowances for certain jobs extra to the basic councillor job.
As an individual this doesn't seem much for a part-time job.
What does a councillor need to do? The 6 month rule means a councillor must attend one meeting in any 6 month period. If they don't a councillor is disqualified and a notice of vacancy must be issued.
A good councillor will do more than just the basic. Below is taken from the LGA website.
The councillor’s role and responsibilities include:
- representing the ward for which they are elected
- decision-making
- developing and reviewing council policy
- scrutinising decisions taken by the councillors on the executive or cabinet
- regulatory, quasi-judicial and statutory duties
- community leadership and engagement.
Most councillors hold regular drop-in surgeries each month. Surgeries are a chance for residents to meet you and discuss their problems or concerns. You may also need to spend time visiting constituents in their homes. On top of this you will be dealing with letters, emails and phone calls from constituents. When dealing with casework or council business you may need to meet with council staff. These meetings, and any visits to council offices, may need to take place during the working day.
Then there are council and scrutiny meetings. Scrutiny is the crucial process of looking at the work and decisions of the executive. As well as the close examination of councillors, it can also involve the community and interested parties.
Handled well, scrutiny procedures can stimulate real local involvement in how the council manages and delivers its business.
Councillors may also sit on quasi-judicial committees, for example the planning committee, which takes non-political decisions on planning applications. The number and length of these meetings varies from council to council. If you are a member of a political party you will also be expected to attend political group meetings, party training and other events.
All the above sounds good. Lots of reading. Just not attending meetings but preparing for meetings is part of the job. With most District and County Council meetings taking place during the daytime and a few in the evening this makes doing this job hard to do whilst in full time employment.
Also these jobs are elected which takes time, effort and money to achieve, if it can be achieved.
Same goes for Parish Council. Whilst their meetings are in the evening from 7pm onwards this is for the few not the many. My job doesn't allow me to be there on a Tuesday evening when the Parish Council normally meets.
Whilst I may have a go at Councillors about their decisions, motives and political ethos I do so from the idea that they should be praised for being elected and putting time and effort into being a councillor.
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