Become a councillor
ELECTION
1ST MAY 2025
Am I eligible?
Being a councillor is a position of responsibility, the Local Government Act 1972, Section 79, sets out the qualifications for standing as a candidate and the grounds for disqualification of a candidate.
On the day of NOMINATION AND ELECTION, you must:
- be at least 18 years old.
- be a British citizen, an eligible Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of any other member state of the European Union, and
- meet at least one of the following four qualifications:
a) Your name must appear on the register of local government electors for the parish/community at the time of your nomination and throughout your term of office should you be elected.
b) You have occupied any land or other premises as owner or tenant in the parish/community during 12 months before the day of your nomination and the day of election.
c) Your main or only place of work during the 12 months prior to the day of your nomination and the day of election has been in the parish/community area. You do not have to have paid employment to qualify, as long as your main or only place of work is in the parish/community area. For example, Councillors who’s main or only job is being a councillor would be able to use this qualification, if their council office is within the parish/community.
d) You have lived in the parish/community area or within three miles of it during 12 months before the day of your nomination and the day of election.
You are disqualified as a candidate if:
- You are employed by the parish/community council or hold a paid office under the parish/community council (including joint boards or committees).
- You have been declared bankrupt in the last five years and has not repaid your debts.
- You have been convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to at least three months imprisonment (including any suspended sentence) within the previous five years.
- You are disqualified due to corrupt practices under the Representation of the People Act 1983 or the Audit Commission Act.
WHAT DOES THE TOWN COUNCIL DO?
Local Council Services
Ludlow has an active Town Council that makes a real difference.
The Town Council runs local services that include Ludlow’s outdoor market, which is open up to six or seven days a week, street trading, maintaining the public toilets, and hosting the local museum at the Buttercross.
It also manages Henley Road Cemetery, The Linney Riverside Park, public benches in Castle Gardens and other play areas and open spaces. Most recently the council worked with Connexus and Shropshire Council to create a new Town Green at Sidney Road.
The Town Council works with local partners to organise local celebrations of national events, most recently a D-Day celebration hosted by Ludlow castle and in partnership with Ludlow Chamber of Trade. The Town Council also host civic and community events, and works with St. Laurence's Church to organise Remembrance Sunday
The Town Council has installed five new bus shelters since 2019; installed throwlines at the Linney Riverside Park and Dinham Millennium Green; undertaken refurbishment works to the grade I listed Guildhall; completed internal refurbishment of the grade I listed Museum at the Buttercross and repairs to Buttercross shop window; upgraded Ludlow market canopies; agreed a new twenty year lease for Wigley’s Field Allotments; and installed a teen shelter at Wheeler Road Skate Park; and will jointly fund Ludlow Junior Youth Club run by Shropshire Youth Association (SYA) for the next three years.
Find out more about how a Town Council works in the Good Coucillor Guide (below)
Why become a Councillor?
Do you want to help local people and be a key figure of the local community?
Do you want to be a representative of your local community and be the voice of the people?
Do you have professional, business or personal skills that could be beneficial for working in a team and that can help your local community?
As a Councillor you would achieve this and you could make a difference. All you need to do is stand for election as a local Councillor and then maybe you could begin a job that is both very challenging, but also incredibly rewarding.
In order to achieve a successful Council it requires a well suited team of Councillors who offer a wide range of skills, talents and interests who can best reflect the local community as a whole. Being a Councillor means you will be in a position where you can make a variety of decisions about local issues and help influence future development within the local area.
Find out more from the publications below:
The Good Councillor Guide to Finance
What is the role of a Councillor?
The role of a Councillor is very unique and dependant on the Councillor themselves,
however they must try:
- To be a representative for residents and bring local thoughts and ideas into the Councils decision making process.
- Respond to resident’s enquiries and opinions.
- Through attending meetings and committees they must decide on policy implementation, where money should be spent, what services should be delivered and what activities to support.
- To monitor their decisions in order to deliver the most effective and efficient services through a greater understanding of how they are working in practice.
All this requires a lot of hard work and dedication, however if successful, the job can be very fulfilling and satisfying.
As a representative of the local community they must have good communication with the local residents, but also with the other Council Members . To do this they must attend council meetings, as well as Local Community Group Meetings, whilst keeping in contact with the local residents. Councillors are also chosen to represent both local and national interests, associations and committees.
How much time will I need?
Councillors have to be able to manage their time to be successful. Many Councillors have to manage a full time career along with their job as a Councillor. Many of the meetings set by the Council are in the evenings, however some are held during the working day. This means that the employer must have a good understanding of your role as a Councillor and your responsibilities that go along with it.
Your work as a Councillor will vary from anywhere between 3 hours a week to several hours a day. This will also depend on your role within the Council, as those with a chairing role or membership of multiple committees will have a greater workload.
The Mayor of Ludlow is elected annually, and is the first citizen of Ludlow. Mayor is a civic role, with a heavy workload, but with no more authority or power than any other councillor - except a casting vote in the event of a tie at a committee meeting.
Read the Mayor's Handbook
The committee system is vital to the work of the council and the mechanism by which councillors make their decisions.
There are four committees that run alongside Full Council meetings, namely:
Services Commmittee - monitoring and governance of local services run by the council.
Policy & Finance Committee - monitoring and governance of council's annual budget and policies.
Representational Committee - representing local opinion on planning applications submitted to Shropshire Council, and matters relating to Shropshire Council Highways, licensing, and pavement permits.
Staffing Committee - monitoring and governance of the council's role as an employer.
Find out more about Council policies and Committee Terms of Reference HERE
For more information on being a Councillor, follow the link below