The Role of a Councillor

Providing leadership and guidance to the community

People look to their elected representatives for leadership and guidance. Councillors can provide this by putting forward options and presenting arguments or possible solutions to problems at council meetings.

Developing a vision for the community and deciding what needs to be done to achieve that vision is an important role for council members. Convincing the community to endorse and follow that vision (and associated plans) requires leadership.

The most fundamental task for councillors is to achieve a strong sense of shared purpose and commitment. The needs and desires of the community are constantly changing and evolving. Councillors must be prepared to initiate new policies and activities in response to these changes.

Facilitating communication between the community and the council

To be effective, council members need to understand the views of the people they represent. Communication needs to flow both ways to be effective. Councillors provide information to the community about the policies and decisions of council, and the community relays its desires, concerns, and opinions to the council through the councillors. To represent both electors and the council effectively, a councillor needs to be a good communicator and keep in touch with the local community.

Councillors can keep in touch with electors in a variety of ways, such as:

• attending meetings of local organisations;
• being available and responding to residents who wish to raise issues or concerns;
• attending events arranged by the local government;
• participating in functions held in the local area;
• communicating with the community regarding council matters via a newsletter, email or website; and
• reading the local newspaper.

Determining policy

The policy-making role of a councillor includes:

• assessing and evaluating community needs;
• establishing priorities for the identified needs;
• considering the allocation of local government resources; and
• convincing fellow councillors of these needs and obtaining their support.

To initiate new policies and activities successfully, a councillor will often need to gather information and obtain advice. This may be achieved through the council staff, following an approach to the CEO.

While a policy may begin with an individual idea, decisions are not made by an individual councillor alone. They are made by the whole council. This democratic process means that a councillor must accept the majority decision when the council votes upon a motion. If a council member feels strongly about an issue and does not have a conflict of interest in the matter, he or she should present a well-constructed and researched argument during the debate on the motion. If the result of the vote is against the wishes of an individual councillor, he or she should accept that result graciously. Each council member has the right to have their dissent recorded in the minutes.

Planning for the future

All local governments must plan for the future of its district. This process starts with a Strategic Community Plan and a Corporate Business Plan.

The Strategic Community Plan is a 10-year plan that states the aspirations, vision, and objectives of the community, is developed with input from the community, and is adopted by council.

The local government’s administration then develops a four-year Corporate Business Plan that prioritises all the projects, services and activities needed to implement the Strategic Community Plan. It should state how much each will cost, what assets will be involved, and who will implement them.

The Corporate Business Plan should be developed using informing strategies, particularly asset management, long term financial planning, and workforce planning. These inform how capable the local government is of delivering the services requested by the community. Informing strategies about specific issues, such as community safety or major infrastructure works, also assist the local government to deliver these services.

Council does not need to approve the operational plan or business unit plans referenced in the Corporate Business Plan, but it should consider the community’s long-term objectives and the local government’s capacity to deliver when deciding its priorities.

Council reviews the Strategic Community Plan every two years through a desktop review, to make sure it is meeting the changing needs of the community. Council is required to conduct a major review of the plan every four years. Council will also review the Corporate Business Plan annually, to respond to changes inside and outside the local government. This process also helps council in setting the annual budget.

More information is available in the DLGSC’s Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework and Guidelines.

Managing assets

Local government assets include everything from roads, bridges, buildings and parks, to computers and telephones, software, and intellectual property (IP).

Although assets are managed by the local government’s administration, council has responsibility for making sure that the community gets the best possible value from its assets. It does this by setting affordable and achievable priorities in the Corporate Business Plan and by making sure that the local government’s Asset Management Strategy is developed and implemented, with appropriate resources for that process.

More information is available in the DLGSC’s Asset Management Framework and Guidelines.

Governing finances

The local government’s Corporate Business Plan and Long Term Financial Plan set out the projects, services, and activities that the local government will deliver and how much these will cost. This information is used by council in the setting and adoption of the annual budget.

Throughout the year, reports are prepared to enable councillors to review council finances, ensure that the council is adhering to its budget or make appropriate modifications. As with all local government business, finance is a matter for discussion and resolution by the full council. Councillors should maintain an active interest in budgeting since the council is responsible to the community for the results achieved.

More information is available in the DLGSC’s Long Term Financial Planning Framework and Guidelines.

Reviewing policy

Another aspect of the councillor’s role is to review policy. This involves assessing whether a policy is fulfilling the community’s needs at any given time and examining the costs associated with the policy’s implementation.

To review activities effectively, councillors need to obtain relevant information from both community members and local government staff through appropriate channels.