Councillor Oliver Gerrish has become the latest ambassador for the ‘Be a Councillor’ campaign to encourage others to stand for local election
West Thurrock councillor, Oliver, will feature on websites, posters and other publicity, posing the question – ‘what will you stand for?’ and challenging others to follow in his footsteps and become a local councillor.
All sorts of people become councillors, people with hugely different backgrounds, skills and experience. Being a local councillor can be extremely rewarding, with the opportunity to help your local community, make changes happen, and make sure things are run how you think they should be reports the east of england local government association.
People get involved for all sorts of reasons, from being involved in campaigns, caring deeply about a local issue, or just wanting to contribute to their local community. How often have you heard someone say “they should do something about…”, and how often have you thought something similar? Standing for election as a local councillor gives people the opportunity to not just talk about issues that affect your community, but to get involved in doing something positive about them.
Oliver says: “I think that a passion for the local community and what you can do for them is far more important than what particular skills you have when you start. And you do grow into the role. It can be hard work, but being more active with voluntary and residents groups, working on campaigns and bringing people together to solve problems or make their community campaign succeed is extremely rewarding.”
A new website, www.beacouncillor.org.uk/east has been created to give people an idea of what it’s like to be a councillor, and how to go about getting involved. It has details of the real-life experiences of some of our local East of England Councillors, as well as a host of further information about how to contact local political parties, where to find information about standing for your local council, and standing as an independent candidate.
