In this section
What do councillors do?
The role of councillors
Local councillors (sometimes called members) are elected by the community to decide how the council should carry out its work and spend money on local services.
Councillors have a responsibility for the whole community but they have a special responsibility to represent their ward constituents. Watford has 36 councillors and 12 wards, with three councillors serving each ward, usually for a period of four years.
Watford Borough Council is led by a directly elected Mayor, who is not a councillor. Councillors elect a Chairman, who acts as the civic head.
Councillors have a number of roles: as a committee member, constituency representative and they may also belong to a political party. Their work includes:
- undertaking strategic planning for the town
- determining the council's finances and allocating our budget
- managing community assets
- working with government departments, non-government agencies, community groups and businesses
- providing a bridge between the community and the council
- representing residents
A number of councillors have specialist roles, such as committee chair or portfolio holder in the cabinet.
