There is no better way to see what life is like as a Councillor than to attend one of the Council's meetings. A calendar of the times and dates of all our public meetings is available on this website from the link to the left of this page.  By selecting any meeting you can see the agenda for that meeting.

• Borough councillors serve a 4 year term
• If you are elected at a by-election you serve until the next scheduled council elections

How much time would I have to commit to the role?

• This would depend on your role within the Council and the number of commitments you take on, this could vary from a few hours each week to almost a full time role.
• If your outside commitments allow, you could devote a much larger proportion of your time, both in the offices at meetings and dealing with Council activities at home. A recent national survey of councillors has revealed that many councillors effectively worked full-time, devoting 40 hours a week to their role.
• Many Councillors represent the Council on one or more outside bodies. Background reading and attendance of meetings of these bodies would increase the time commitment.
• For most of the meetings you attend there will be papers, which you will need to read beforehand. These papers can be detailed and take a number of hours to read and understand.
• The people you represent will look to you for help in dealing with their problems. You are likely to receive a lot of post, e-mails and a great many telephone calls. Not every caller will telephone at what you might think is a reasonable hour!

When do Council meetings take place?

• Meetings of the full Council take place approximately every six weeks
• In any 6 month period, a councillor must attend at least one meeting
• Meetings of the full council, the Cabinet (which we call 'The Board') and nearly all committee meetings take place at the Municipal Buildings, Earle Street, Crewe
• Most meetings are held in the afternoons. Meetings of the full Council alternate between the afternoon and evening. The Board normally meets in the early evening.

Will I receive any form of recompense?

• Borough Councillors receive no salary for the time they give up to serve their community. They do, however, receive allowances based on the recommendations of an independent review panel. Currently, each Councillor receives a basic allowance of £3,888 per annum which covers all your work as a Councillor, including any meetings you attend. You would however receive an allowance for traveling to and from meetings.
• The Leader of the Council and the Leader of the Principal Opposition Group on the Council also receive an additional allowance in recognition of their special responsibilities. These special responsibility allowances are also received by members of the Board and the Committee chairs.

If I claim allowances will this affect any benefits I might receive?

The situation is quite complicated and you are advised to seek the guidance of the local DSS office.