{"id":10196,"date":"2024-09-04T12:18:56","date_gmt":"2024-09-04T11:18:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.devon.gov.uk\/democracy\/campaign-page\/why-be-a-councillor\/what-is-a-councillor-and-what-do-they-do-2\/"},"modified":"2025-03-27T14:47:47","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T14:47:47","slug":"why-be-a-councillor","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/democracy\/beacouncillor\/who-can-be-a-councillor\/why-be-a-councillor\/","title":{"rendered":"Why be a councillor?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Local people often become councillors because they care deeply about their community and want to make a positive impact. Many are already involved with local organisations and residents&#8217; groups focused on community improvement.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some other reasons why you might want to become a councillor:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Giving back to your community:<\/strong> Being a councillor can be a worthwhile and rewarding way to help your local community. Whether it\u2019s supporting a resident with an issue, ensuring the community receives the right services, or helping to shape the community by driving new ideas, your contributions matter.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Making a difference:<\/strong> As a councillor, you can make a positive impact to the quality of life for people in your local area.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Representing your community:&nbsp;<\/strong>Councillors represent the views and concerns of local people. If you\u2019re passionate about a particular issue or believe in democracy and want to ensure fair representation, becoming a councillor allows you to be the voice of your community.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reflecting your community:<\/strong> For a diverse and representative local council, councillors should reflect the communities they serve. By representing your community, you ensure all backgrounds and experiences are reflected in decision making.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Shaping the future:&nbsp;<\/strong>As a councillor, you can influence policies, participate in decision making processes, advocate for change, and contribute to the well-being of residents.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sharing existing skills and gaining new ones:<\/strong> You may have skills to contribute to being a councillor or are involved in your community and want to take the next step and serve wider society. You may also want to develop new skills, broaden your knowledge, and build confidence. Being a councillor is a fulfilling role that allows you to learn and grow.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Next steps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Still have questions? Join one of our free information sessions online or in person, download our printable information guide or, if you\u2019re ready to take the next step, learn more about the nomination process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-top ctacolumns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top ctacolumn is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-not-stacked-on-mobile is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:24.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.devon.gov.uk\/democracy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/27\/2024\/09\/image-56-1.svg\" alt=\"information icon\" class=\"wp-image-10781\" style=\"width:45px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:82.66%\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left ctatext\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/democracy\/beacouncillor\/information-sessions\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"10935\">Join an information<\/a><br><a href=\"#\">session<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top ctacolumn is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-not-stacked-on-mobile is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:24.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.devon.gov.uk\/democracy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/27\/2024\/09\/image-59-2.svg\" alt=\"information icon\" style=\"width:45px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:82.66%\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left ctatext\"><a href=\"https:\/\/devoncc.sharepoint.com\/:b:\/s\/PublicDocs\/Democracy\/EXwS-M4Fr0RJmb5JYupJ-5sBSdUs9lYUlnzG4OLKchCoiw?e=yXnjSU\" rel=\"noopener\">Print an information<br>guide<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top ctacolumn is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-not-stacked-on-mobile is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:24.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.devon.gov.uk\/democracy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/27\/2024\/09\/image-58-1.svg\" alt=\"information icon\" style=\"width:45px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:82.66%\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left ctatext\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/democracy\/beacouncillor\/the-nomination-process\/\">The nomination<\/a><br><a href=\"#\">process<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Local people often become councillors because they care deeply about their community and want to make a positive impact. Many are already involved with local organisations and residents&#8217; groups focused on community improvement.&nbsp; Here are some other reasons why you might want to become a councillor:&nbsp;<\/p>\n <span class=\"orange text-excerpt\">&gt;<\/span>","protected":false},"author":748,"featured_media":0,"parent":10088,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-10196","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-16 18:51:48","action":"Draft","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/democracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/democracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/democracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/democracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/748"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/democracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10196"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/democracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10196\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12055,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/democracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10196\/revisions\/12055"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/democracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/democracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}