“Councillors come in lots of sizes and shapes”
“I was inspired to become a councillor by meeting existing councillors. I realised that they were ordinary people, just like me, who had been courageous enough to put themselves forward.
“Councillors come in lots of sizes and shapes with different personalities, strengths and weaknesses. I think honesty, integrity, and a desire to help others are essential – other qualities are optional.”
What does your role as a councillor involve?
“Everything! Campaigning, advocating for others, pushing on important issues, signposting people who need advice or help to where they can get it, being a guide and mentor to colleagues, working with officers to deliver new projects, liaising with the public, being involved in the local community – to name just a few!
“It can be really tricky to balance being a councillor with other responsibilities – it’s hard work and can take up a lot of time. I find I have to set boundaries and protect things in my life that are important to me and my wellbeing, although that’s often hard to do in practice.
“We all love to help others, and saying ‘no’ can be hard, but is necessary.”
“[It’s] about hard work, challenge and satisfaction”
“For me, being a councillor is about hard work, challenge and satisfaction.
“The most rewarding aspects of the role are having the opportunity to interact with lots of different people in my locality, and across the county, and being able to take on responsibilities that would never have come my way if I was not a councillor, like being vice-chair of trustees for two local charities.
“But there are challenging aspects too like having to say ‘no’ to people when they want something that I cannot give them. I have also had to overcome my natural reticence to speak publicly – I still do everything I can to avoid the dreaded media interview!
“My proudest achievement has been negotiating with my local community to see through road layout changes in my division that were originally unpopular with many, but over time and with careful engagement, became popular and well received by most.”
My advice to someone who’s interested in becoming a councillor…
“Talk to as many people as possible, and trust the opinion of a few experienced individuals about whether you could be the type of person who could do the job.”