The Good Councillor's Guide 2024

It gives me great pleasure to introduce the 2024 version of the Good Councillors Guide. This revised edition is a welcome and much needed resource.

It is essential guidance primarily for new councillors but also for those thinking about becoming a local councillor. New councillors have a lot of information to take in when they join a council, and the guide can help them understand this.

If you are reading this guide as a new councillor, I congratulate you on joining the council and thank you for taking up a civic office that can make a real difference to the community that your council represents.

Once the excitement of being elected or co-opted has subsided you may begin to feel a little daunted by the responsibilities you have taken on and your part in the democratic framework of local government. I hope this guide will help you understand more about your role, the difference you can make and help ensure you are acting within your council’s powers and duties.

Cllr Keith Stevens, Chair of NALC.