Create your own Council

Feeling frustrated with hyperlcoal democracy? If you want to have a more direct influence on the way your neighbourhood is goverened and IF you've the time and energy, you can now create your own local council.

Local (parish, town, neighbourhood, village, community or city) councils are the first tier of local government in England. There are around 9,000 local councils in England made up of nearly 80,000 local councillors. They deliver a range of services at a community level and their role is to represent the local community, provide services to meet local needs and improve quality of life and community wellbeing.

New legislation in 2007 allowed new local councils to be created in London (until then the London Government Act of 1963 had prevented the creation of new local councils in the capital).

Since the passage of the 2007 Act, there have been campaigns established in five areas of the capital so far to create new local councils: Queen’s Park, London Fields, Wapping, Beckenham and Surbiton.

Want to find out more? The National Association of Local Councils are running events at Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre on the South Bank in October and November.

Click here for further details.