Standing for Council elections?

Date: 14 September 2025

A blog by Khaled Noor, barrister and activist

In May 2026, local government council elections will be held in England, giving many an opportunity to reach the first rung on a career in politics as a councillor for a term of four years. For many, serving as a councillor has been a stepping stone to the House of Commons and further political advancement. However, it is step that requires awareness and self-reflection on several matters, that include

• Local government structure
• The legal framework
• Role of the councillor
• Local political dynamics are changing
• Challenges
• Standing as a councillor?

Local government structure

Local government plays an important role in our everyday life. The local authorities in England deliver a range of services, including social care for children and adults, and neighbourhood services from roads to rubbish collection, libraries and local planning, and some aspects of transport, housing and education.

The structure of local government varies from area to area. In total there are 317 local authorities in England made up of 5 different types of local authorities.[1] Of these, 132 are ‘single tier’ authorities, which are made up of the following: 62 unitary authorities, which provide all local government services in their area and 32 London boroughs, which provide most of the services in their area. London-wide services such as police and crime, fire, strategic planning and transport are provided by the Greater London Authority (GLA) – the democratically elected strategic authority for London.[2]  Also, there are 36 metropolitan districts, which cover Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, the West Midlands and West Yorkshire.

The council election process varies within local authorities and metropolitan districts: all the local councillors every 4 years; half the local councillors every 2 years; one third of the local councillors every year for 3 years with no elections held in the 4^th year.

The legal framework

Local councillors and council officers operate within a governance framework of checks and balances to ensure that local authorities’ decision-making is lawful, transparent and consultative. There are many acts of Parliament, regulations and by-laws which regulate the Council’s business, roles of the Councillors and how it provides services to the local communities.

The Local Government Act 1972 redefined the procedures, structures, duties and geographies of all English and Welsh councils. The last 50 years have seen multiple further changes for local government finance, particularly in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In the 2000s, mayors, cabinets, and overview and scrutiny came to challenge the long-established structure of committee-based decision-making. Nevertheless, much of the 1972 Act remains relevant today. Local government has taken on many additional statutory duties since then, but the basic functions of local government remain largely as they were when the Act came into force. The fundamentals of meetings, proceedings, access to information and election timings have also changed very little.[3] Since the Local Government Act 2000 come into force, councils have been responsible for the economic, social, and environmental well being of their areas.

The Localism Act 2011 has given councils and communities more influence over the way their local area is managed. The Localism Act seeks to give effect to the Government’s ambitions to decentralise power away from Whitehall and back into the hands of local councils, communities and individuals to act on local priorities. Eric Pickles, the then Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government said, introducing the 2010 bill to the House of Commons that it was intended to prioritise local decision making over other scales of governance.[4]

Moreover, the Localism Act gives local authorities a ‘general power of competence’ – the legal capacity to do anything that an individual can do that is not specifically prohibited; they will not, for example, be able to impose new taxes, as an individual has no power to tax.The new, general power gives councils more freedom to work together with others in new ways to drive down costs. It gives them increased confidence to do creative, innovative things to meet local people’s needs. Also, the Localism Act 2011 gives greater local control over business rates and freedom to offer business rate discounts – to help attract firms, investment and jobs.

Role of the councillor

It is estimated that councils provide more than 800 services to local communities. Most of the services provided by the local government are mandatory, meaning by law the councils must ensure they are delivered. Hence, the mandatory functions are tightly controlled by central government to ensure a similar level of service across the country. Also, as the vital public service providers, local government is one of the biggest public sector employers. In England, more than one million people work in local government across a range of different types of authorities.

Councillors have a vital role in local democracy to ensure that local authorities’ decision-making is lawful, transparent and consultative as required by the law. Councillors work with local people and partners, such as local businesses and other organisations, to agree and deliver on local priorities. The decisions are implemented by permanent council staff, council officers, who deliver services on a daily basis.

The primary responsibility of a councillor is to act as a local politician and community leader, bridging the gap between the community and the council. Councillors are  advocates for residents, guiding them towards appropriate services and resources within the council.

Local political dynamics are changing

Traditionally the local authorities and councillors in town halls across England and Wales are dominated by the three Westminster parties, though in the mid-1970s, 20% of local councillors were categorised as independents. The number of independent councillors has been on the rise  in England and Wales. In recent years, a quiet revolution has been going on in town halls across England and Wales, as voters turn their back on the big Westminster parties in favour of local, independent candidates and residents’ groups.[7] In 2019, a over 650 independents councillors were elected. According to the Open Council Data, there are 2092 councillors currently sitting as independents.

There is a disillusionment with national politics. Though, Independent local parties are an uncommon but persistent feature of British local government.[8] Traditionally, members of independent local parties tend to hold a strong anti-national-party sentiment, particularly where there is discontent with municipal policy decisions made by national parties. In recent years, grassroots movement initiates by local activists who disillusioned with the status quo are forming political organisations independent of the Labour Party. The formation of the independent local political parties is gaining momentum across London, Southeast, North and other England constituencies, where the Labour Party traditionally enjoys popular support.

Challenges

However, local authorities across the country have been struggling financially and in recent years their “spending power” has reduced significantly.  Many local authorities are struggling with funding shortages because of cuts to council funding by successive Westminster government. It is reported that since 2021, six local authorities have declared themselves effectively bankrupt, with a raft of councils warning they may have to do the same.[5] This should be noted here that local authorities have three main sources of revenue: (i) government grants, (ii) council tax; (iii) business rates. The amount of money authorities have spent from government grants, council tax and business rates – fell by 17.5% between 2009/10 and 2019/20. In 2021/22 it was still 10.2% below 2009/10 levels. In 2019/20, local authorities in England received 22% of their funding from government grants, 52% from council tax, and 27% from retained business rates.[6] Therefore, Councils are often making hard choices to strike a fair balance between their legal responsibilities to provide vital services in their area while balancing budget and finding savings for uncertain future.

Standing as a councillor?

Though the role of a councillor is not a full-time job per se, nor it is financially rewarding!

However, it is a public duty that comes with many responsibilities, so it deserves commitment, efficient time management and dedication to make a real impact.

Therefore, to make a difference it is imperative that those who are interested in standing as independent candidates in the upcoming local elections, should ask themselves whether they have the rights skill sets, passion and experiences as required to serve their respective ward or division and the people who live in it.

This author is aware that many individuals and activists within our communities have the rights set of skills and abilities to serve their communities, but many do not put themselves forward voluntarily. Hence, it is imperative that those who lead local independent political organisations  should actively look for and encourage those who keep a low profile within their community for various reasons, but they could provide leadership and be an asset in helping to manage the local authorities which are facing many challenges. At the same the time, it is imperative to encourage our youth and so harness future leadership.

Finally, it is important that local independent political parties should work in collaboration and in partnership to provide an alternative for real political change.

Khaled Noor, 14 September 2025

For the author’s further blogs click here

[1] https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-government-structure-and-elections

[2] https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn05817/

[3]https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/long-shadows-50-years-of-the-local-government-act-1972/

[4] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/localism-bill-starts-a-new-era-of-people-power

[5] Council bankruptcy tracker: authorities under increasing financial strain – New Statesman

[6] Local government funding in England | Institute for Government

[7] The remarkable rise of the independent councillors – BBC News

[8] Independent Local Parties in Britain-their definition, characteristics, and prevalence, Author: Jason Leman, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK (now an independent researcher).