The role of a councillor

Councillors play an important role. You will decide what is in the public interest amidst a range of conflicting issues and views. The main parts of a councillor’s role are:

  • Decision making – you’ll attend council meetings and committees, deciding which activities to support, where council funds should be spent, what services should be delivered and which policies should be put in place
  • Monitoring – you’ll track how effective and efficient services are running and will raise any issues with officers and other Councillors.
  • Getting involved locally - As local representatives, you will get involved in your local community, supporting events and initiatives that will benefit your constituents

Responsibilities include:

  • Raising issues on behalf of members of the public
  • Running surgeries -  giving residents the chance to raise issues in private, and in confidence
  • Meeting with individual residents in their own homes
  • Going to meetings held by local organisations
  • Attending meetings of outside bodies affecting the wider community

Conducting yourself as a councillor

As Councillors, you are leaders of our communities and are therefore expected to show: selflessness, honesty, integrity, leadership, accountability, openness, stewardship and respect for others.

These principles will help you in your wide-ranging and demanding roles.

Becoming a councillor

You can find out more about becoming a councillor on the Local Government Association website, including support for disabled people.

 

Candidate and Agents Briefings for May 2024 Local Elections

In preparation for the elections on Thursday 2 May 2024 we will be holding two Candidate and Agent Briefings and you are welcome to attend.

Briefing 1 will take place on Monday 19 February 2024, 5.30pm and will cover the election timetable, Elections Act changes, the nomination process, the requesting of registers, political sensitivity during the pre-election period, electoral integrity, and polling day arrangements. Detective Constable Carl Davis will be in attendance from the Economic Crime Unit of Cheshire Police.

Briefing 2 will take place on Thursday 18 April 2024, 5.30pm and cover polling day, verification and count and expense arrangements. Detective Sergeant Chris Jacques will be in attendance from the Economic Crime Unit of Cheshire Police.

Both meetings will be held ‘in person’ in the Council Chamber at the Town Hall, Sankey Street, Warrington, WA1 1UH. If you are unable to attend in person, the meeting will be available to attend via ‘Teams’. Links and a reminder for each meeting will be sent out by email one week before each session.  

Please let us know if you will be attending by emailing [email protected]. Let us know also if you need a hard copy nomination form to collect at the meeting and, if so, for which type of election. We’ll have a supply of the various forms, including register request and agent forms available at each session.

 

The Electoral Commission provide lots of useful information:

We plan to publish Notice of Election for both Borough and Parish Elections on Monday 11 March 2024. Completed nomination papers can be submitted between the hours of 10am and 4pm Monday to Friday (excluding Bank holidays) from Tuesday 12 March until the final deadline of 4pm on Friday 5 April 2024 at the Town Hall, Sankey Street, Warrington WA1 IUH.  Please make sure your nomination form reaches us in good time, ahead of the final deadline.

We can provide an informal check of nomination papers prior to formally submitting them once the nomination period is open. If you would like us to carry out an informal nomination paper check prior to formal submission,  you can either email the documents to [email protected] together with a contact telephone number, or contact [email protected] to make an appointment to have your nomination checked in person. To be valid, nomination papers must be submitted by hand by either by the candidate, agent, or a person they trust no later than 4pm on Friday 5 April 2024.

Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner Elections (PCC) 

For the Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner Elections (PCC) on 2 May 2024, Halton Borough Council is the ‘lead’ authority. They are responsible for receiving and processing all PCC related nomination papers. 

Notice of Election for the PCC election will be published by Halton on Friday 15 March with nominations for PCC Candidates being taken, by them, between the hours of 10am and 4pm Monday to Friday (excl. bank holidays) from Monday 18 March until close of nominations on 4pm Friday 5 April.  

Contact Halton Borough Council for further information at [email protected]

 

We will be updating our Local Elections 2024 webpage regularly in the lead up to the election. Answers to most enquiries will be available by visiting our webpages over the coming weeks.

A copy of the slides and relevant information will be sent out after each meeting. Further details regarding parking arrangements for those attending ‘in person’ will be available following confirmation of attendance.

If you need any further information, please let us know at [email protected]. 

 

Standing for election

Nominations to stand for election as a candidate for Borough and Parish Elections will be accepted by the Returning Officer at The Town Hall, Sankey Street, Warrington, WA1 1UH between the hours of 10am and 4pm from Tuesday 12 March until close of nominations at 4pm on Friday 5 April. You can request a set of nomination papers by contacting [email protected].

Please email [email protected] to make an appointment to have your nomination checked prior to formal submission.

Information about requirements to become a candidate at Parish Elections varies slightly from Borough elections. Find out more and download your nomination forms for the relevant election date on the Electoral Commission website.  

Guidance for Candidates and Agents at local government and Candidates at Parish council elections in England is available on the Electoral Commission website.

Briefings for prospective Borough and Parish election candidates and agents will take place at:

  • 5.30pm on Tuesday 19 February – covering the election timetable, Elections Act changes, the nomination process, requesting registers, purdah, electoral integrity, and polling day arrangements. Carl Davis will be in attendance from the Economic Crime Unit of Cheshire Police.
  • 5.30pm on Monday 18 April - and cover polling day, verification and count and expense arrangements. Chris Jacques will be in attendance from the Economic Crime Unit of Cheshire Police.

Briefings will take place in person in the Council Chamber, Town Hall, Sankey Street Warrington WA1 1UH or you can join using Microsoft Teams. To request an invite, email [email protected].

Election Notices 2024

We will publish a notice setting out the candidates and the wards they are standing in by Monday 8 April 2024.

Criteria for candidates

To qualify to stand for election as a councillor you must be 18 or older when nominated and either:

Additionally, you must fulfil at least one of the following:

  • You must be registered to vote in elections in Warrington
  • You must have occupied, as an owner or a tenant, any land or premises in the Warrington borough, during the whole of the 12 months before the day that you are nominated
  • Your main or only place of work during the last 12 months has to have been inside the Warrington borough
  • You must have lived in the borough of Warrington for 12 months
Restrictions on becoming a councillor

You are unable to stand as a councillor if:

  • You are employed by the council, hold a paid office under the council or hold a politically restricted post
  • You have been declared bankrupt in the last five years
  • You have been convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to more than three months imprisonment within the past five years
  • You have incurred illegal expenditure (when acting as a councillor) of over £2,000 and have been found guilty of corrupt or illegal practices under the Representation of the Peoples Act 1983

When are the next local elections held?

Local elections are currently held in Warrington on an all-out basis every four years, with all 58 council seats up for re-election. The next election scheduled to take place in May 2024. When standing for election you will need to consider whether you wish to stand as an Independent candidate, or as a candidate for a registered political party.

To stand as a candidate you need to:

  • Complete a nomination paper. Get your nomination papers from the electoral commission website, by emailing the Electoral Services Team or calling 01925 442184
  • Get two signatures (proposer and seconder) from people who are registered to vote in the ward where you want to stand for election.
  • Sign the candidates consent to nomination and complete the registration of political parties’ certification if applicable. This should then be returned to the returning officer by the close of nominations which is no later than 4pm on the nineteenth day before the date of the election.

The LGA offer support and have a guide to councillors and candidates for safer canvasing.

Party candidates

If you are interested in standing as a candidate for a political party and are not already a member of that party, you will need to contact them separately.

Independent candidates

If you are standing as an independent candidate, the Local Government Association (LGA) independent group can offer support and general advice.

Election agents

Each candidate must appoint an election agent, although you can choose to act as your own agent. Amongst other things, your agent sees that the election campaign is conducted in line with the law, deals with expenses and generally organises the campaign’s activities.

Polling day (Election day)

Candidates are entitled to attend the opening of postal votes, polling stations (on polling day) and the counting of the votes (known as the count).

Candidates can also appoint polling agents and counting agents who may work on their behalf on polling day and or at the count. Postal voting agents can also be appointed to attend the opening of postal votes.

Support for councillors

Officers provide councillors with a range of support to help carry out duties. You will be provided with office equipment like a mobile phone,  laptop and stationery. Supporting officers are based in the West Annex of the Town Hall. During your term of office you will form effective relationships with these officers through your attendance at meetings and with day-to-day support and activities provided by them.

Induction

Induction sessions are planned for all councillors to help you understand how the council is structured and what your new duties will be. It will also offer the chance for you to meet key senior officers, who can help, support and advise you in your role as an elected representative. Returning councillors are also welcome to attend the induction to refresh their knowledge.

DateVenueTraining
Thursday 9 May 2024, 9am to 4.30pmCouncil chamberInduction day (Mandatory for new members)
Monday 13 May 2024, 6pmCouncil chamber or TeamsCode of conduct training (Mandatory for all members)
Monday 20 May 2024, 5pmParr HallCouncil procedure rules (Mandatory for new members)
Wednesday 22 May 2024, 6pmTeamsDevelopment management committee training (Mandatory for all members on the development management committee)
Tuesday 4 June 2024, 5pmCouncil chamberLicensing committee (Mandatory for all members on the licensing committee)

Training and development opportunities

During your first few weeks as a councillor you will be invited to attend an informal interview with a senior officer to review skills, experience, personal goals and to agree areas for development. Throughout your term of office, you will be invited to take part in development opportunities tailored to your needs.

The councillor development forum, a cross party group of members, meet regularly to ensure the best support and development opportunities are provided for councillors.

What to expect in your early days

If successful, you are elected for a four year term. You will be asked to accept the office of councillor and the chief executive will witness this process. Once this has been done, you will start your duties. You will be expected to attend some or all of the following as part of your role as councillor:

  • council meetings
  • neighbourhood meetings
  • scrutiny/policy meetings
  • meetings of any external bodies that you have been asked to serve on eg voluntary organisations or public bodies

We also recommend you read the LGA’s becoming a councillor.

Councillors' allowances

Councillors don’t get paid as your work is voluntary. However, you do receive an allowance, which is reviewed annually. For councillors who work, employers are required to provide reasonable time off but there is currently no obligation for them to pay for that time off.

The basic allowance

Each year all councillors receive a basic allowance of £8785 per annum (April 2022). The basic allowance recognises the time devoted to council business and is designed to cover general expenses.

Further allowances are available for councillors who need to pay for childcare and for councillors deemed responsible for arranging full time adult care for others.

Special responsibility allowance

Some councillors also receive a special responsibility allowance for undertaking additional duties, eg chairs of committees.

4 April 2024