Mae'r wefan hon ar gael yn y Gymraeg

 

Almost anyone can be a councillor and it’s very important that a range of different people are elected to represent different communities.

Local government needs more councillors who are under 40, female, disabled, LGBTQ+ and Black or Asian or from other minority groups and from a range of beliefs, cultures and personal circumstances. In short, more councillors who are as diverse as the communities they represent. The Welsh Local Government Association is working with Councils to introduce a range of ambitious actions and commitments intended to spur change and promote diversity in democracy. These include encouraging all political parties to commit to proactively improving diversity, supporting the use of voluntary quotas, and encouraging all councils to sign up to a 'Diversity Councils' declaration, to demonstrate a clear, public commitment.

Disabled candidates are entitled to funding to help with any additional costs associated with their impairment which could be a barrier to them standing as a councillor. More information about claiming from the Access to Elected Office Fund here. Councillors can be working part or full time, unemployed or in education.  

The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 has changed the rules to reduce barriers to individuals standing as a councillor:

  • It allows council employees (other than those holding politically restricted posts) to stand for election. They would not need to resign their paid employment with the council to do this.
  • It enables the executive (the Cabinet) to appoint members as assistants to the executive and facilitates job-sharing for executive leaders and executive members.
  • The entitlement of Councillors to family absence has been updated, bringing them in line with updated UK employment law.
  • It introduced legislation to make permanent the provision for remote council meetings, following its successful adoption during the pandemic.

           

You can stand for election as an independent candidate or as a group/party political candidate. If you are a member or plan to join or stand as a member of a political party their agents will work for you. If you are standing as an independent member you will need to seek advice from different agencies.

Further information about political parties, their websites and their key policies at the Senedd 2021 election are available via the BBC website here. If you want more information about the role of an independent councillor, the Local Government Association have a group for independent councillors.

A full list of registered political parties is available from the Electoral Commission.

If you support a political party, they are now looking for people interested in representing them. Don’t worry if you are not already a member of a party, you can easily join. Some parties require you to have been a member for a set period before you are eligible to be a candidate.

If you have been selected by a party as a candidate or if you are standing as an independent candidate, you must make sure that you are not disqualified from standing and you must be officially ‘nominated’.

Full guidance and information for candidates is available at the Electoral Commission website. Councils’ elections websites will also include guidance including any relevant deadlines and timetables.

A local Returning Officer will announce an election by publishing a Notice of Election at least 25 days before the next local elections. You will need to submit a completed set of nomination papers to the Returning Officer by 4pm on the 19 working day before the poll. There are two nomination papers that you must submit for your nomination to be valid:

  • the nomination form
  • a home address form.

You must include a statement of party membership stating whether you have been a member of any political party at any time in the last 12 months prior to publication of the notice of election.

You can find out how you can obtain nomination papers from the council’s elections office or the Electoral Commission website.

If you are interested in standing for office please take a look at the FAQs for information about mentoring and shadowing opportunities.

Apart from the local elections which take place every 5 years, if a position becomes vacant, due to for example the death of a serving councillor, councils may hold by-elections. The process for a by-election is the same as for national elections, so an election will be announced for the vacant seat and you should submit your signed nomination form to the deadline specified on the Notice of Election.

For more information about how to become a councillor in your local Council, please visit the websites below:

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