Please note that these dates refer to the May 2011 elections. They will be updated nearer to the next elections in 2015.
A councillor is elected to represent the people in his or her electoral division (known as a Ward). There are 37 Wards represented by 65 councillors. Most Wards have 2 councillors, 10 Wards have 1 councillor and 1 Ward has 3 councillors.
As a councillor you may be asked to deal with front line casework from local people asking for your help in solving problems or making representations about significant issues in Bath and North East Somerset. This work would be generated through personal visits, telephone calls, letters and emails.
You would contribute to community leadership throughout Bath and North East Somerset by speaking to represent the interests of citizens at Council and other meetings, consulting and listening to key local stakeholders and through participating in the Council`s policy and decision-making processes. Further information on the way the formal business of the Council works can be accessed on the Council`s website at: www.bathnes.gov.uk/democracy.
You may be asked to represent the Council on another organisation e.g. a school governing body or a group that works in partnership with the Council.
As a councillor the time commitment will vary a lot from a few hours each week to almost the equivalent of a full-time job depending on the role you are appointed to within the Council and the number of commitments you take on. Serving councillors have estimated that frontline work can take between 12 and 30 hours each month. There is a legal requirement to attend at least one Council meeting every six months.
If you are appointed as a Political Group Leader, or the Chair(man) of an Overview and Scrutiny Panel or a Committee you can expect to spend substantially more time on Council business. The Council Cabinet Members need to be able to commit an amount of time approaching the equivalent of a full-time job.
As a councillor you would work mainly from home unless attending meetings on Council premises or site visits, seminars, training events etc. elsewhere. There are office facilities at the Guildhall, Bath and Riverside, Keynsham, where councillors may work on computers or hold meetings with colleagues or council officers. The political groups have meeting rooms and offices for their members at the Guildhall, Bath or The Hollies, Midsomer Norton.
As a councillor you would receive an allowance and expenses for your work and if eligible you may contribute to the pension scheme. The standard Basic Allowance payable to all councillors in 2010/11 is £7,109 per year. Special Responsibility Allowances are paid for additional roles undertaken. Carers' Allowances are available towards the cost of providing care for dependant children or adults whilst you would be attending some Council duties. An independent panel reviews the scale of allowances on a regular basis.
Employees (except for members of the armed services, merchant seamen and police officers) who are councillors have a right to take reasonable time off during working hours to attend Council and committee meetings and certain other activities approved by the Council. There is no right to be paid for any time off although some employers do as a matter of good practice grant time off with pay. If paid time off is not granted you would need to agree with your employer how to cover any time off you take for Council duties by taking holiday, using flexitime etc.
Currently every councillor is offered a computer to use at home for Council work. IT training is provided for those who need it. The Members’ Secretary based at the Guildhall and the Member Development Officer based at Riverside, Keynsham are available to assist councillors with processing letters, photocopying and other support work. Each political group currently has the support of either a full-time Political Research Assistant or a part-time Group Support Officer. After each election these arrangements are reviewed.
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