How councils work

This depends on the type of council. There are several types of local authority in England, for example District, Borough, County, Metropolitan, City and Unitary councils. You may also want to consider standing as a councillor for Town or Parish council elections. All councils have things in common in the way they work and make decisions on behalf of local communities.

Most councils are run on a system similar to that of central government, with an executive (or cabinet) to decide on policy and make decisions, and other councillors to scrutinise or examine them in detail.

All councils are large organisations which influence many aspects of the lives of people who live in their area. A large proportion of the work councils do is determined by central government. Local councils vary widely because of their style and approach to delivering these central government programmes, and it is here that local knowledge and commitment make a real difference.

Depending on the type of authority the council can be responsible for a range of services, such as:

  • education and lifelong learning
  • social services and health
  • housing and regeneration
  • waste collection
  • recycling
  • roads and street lighting
  • arts, sports and culture
  • community safety and crime reduction
  • environment
  • planning and regulation
  • tackling disadvantage and building strong, stable communities
  • taxing and spending
  • transport

These are mainly funded through payments from central government and the collection of council tax, although council tax only makes up about 25 per cent of a council’s income.

Over recent years the role of councils has changed. They now have additional responsibilities, such as improving the health and well-being of local people through joint working with health services.

Other important responsibilities are the reduction of crime and improvement of community safety, usually achieved through partnership working with the police and voluntary and community groups. Some councils also group together for such services as waste disposal.