Working on our behalf - the county councillor's role
Councillors represent members of their community on a collective and individual basis. Councillors have a governance and oversight role in the local authority.
The role of a councillor is busy, varied and comes with a lot of responsibility. Councillors play an important role in the development of policies and the making of decisions about issues that impact their local community, in diverse areas such as housing, planning and environmental protection.
They are also responsible for the governance and oversight of the council, which includes ensuring the proper operation of the local authority and the making of critical decisions about budgets.
Councillors make decisions about the operation of the local authority and the services it provides. For example, they decide on County/City Development Plans and local regulations, known as bye-laws.
Decisions taken by the elected council are called reserved functions because they are reserved for the council. Reserved functions are set out in law and relate to important areas like strategic development or finance.
Functions performed by local authority employees (the executive) are called executive functions. These generally relate to the day-today operation of the local authority.
As members of the council, councillors make decisions on: The Annual Budget of the local authority; The rate of Local Property Tax; The Local Economic and Community Plan; The County/City Development Plan; Local Area Plans and The Climate Action Plan.
These decisions inform the broad range of functions and services delivered by the local authority, including: Housing, Planning, Road Improvements, Funds for Community Initiatives, Library Services, Fire and Emergency Services, Promotion of Arts and Culture, The Record of Protected Structures, Parking
Zones and Litter Prevention and Control.
Local authorities also deliver and implement national policies at a local level, for example, Active Travel, Housing for All and the National Planning Framework.
Councillors represent members of their community on a collective and individual basis and work to ensure that the needs of their community are taken into account when the local authority is making decisions and that their interests are represented on other committees and bodies, like Education and Training Boards.
Representing the views of local people, communities, community groups and stakeholders is an important part of the councillor’s role. This aspect of the role can include many types of activities.
They attend and represent at council, municipal district and committee meetings for which they are a member and where possible, ensure the views and concerns of local communities are reflected in the council’s decision-making process.
They meet with local communities and groups to learn about issues in their local area and they ensure the policies of the council are reflected in the activities of a broad range of other public agencies to which they are nominated (Regional Assemblies, Education and Training Boards, Regional Health Fora, Joint Policing Committees, etc).
The local councillor also identify and track local issues and bring this knowledge back into the council chamber to ensure better outcomes for the wellbeing and quality of life of the people and communities they represent. They assist individuals, community groups, schools and businesses in accessing appropriate local authority services, represent the local authority on various local community and voluntary boards, groups and committees.
Councillors have a Governance and Oversight role in the local authority and as elected members, have the primary oversight role in their local authority, have an important role in overseeing the activities of the local authority and ensuring that it operates effectively.
As local authorities operate in a complex environment and interact with a wide range of stakeholders, it is essential that there is a strong governance structure in place that ensures they function properly.
Councillors have responsibility for scrutinising the performance of local authorities against the priorities and targets set; maintaining high standards of conduct and ethics, acting in the public interest at all times; approving the sale of local authority land; considering the annual report and scrutinising the annual accounts; following up on audit reports and ensuring compliance with relevant legislation
Councillors also have particular powers in relation to the chief executive (CE), including the power to require the CE to report on various matters related to the operation of the local authority. The council also has powers in relation to the CE's employment.