Understand what your different elected representaties do.

 

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Elected representatives are people chosen by voters in an election to act on their behalf. However different roles exist at different levels of government, each representing different numbers of people and responsibilities, so it can get a bit confusing! 

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Parish/Town Councillors → hyper-local issues

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Councillors → local services and policies

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Members of Parliament (MPs) → national laws and representation in Parliament

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Elected Mayors → regional strategy and coordination

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Ceremonial Mayors → tradition, events, chair council meetings

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🏡 Town / Parish Councillors

 

Where they operate: The most local level (towns, villages, small communities) We actually don't have these in our immediate area.

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• Who elects them? Local residents in parish or town council elections

• How often are they elected? Usually every 4 years

• How long do they serve? Typically 4-year terms

• How many people do they represent? A small ward or parish — often hundreds to a few thousand people

 

 

What they do:

 

• Maintain parks, community centres, allotments

• Comment on local planning applications

• Organise local events

• Address very local issues (benches, bins, signage, etc.)\

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🏙️ Councillors (District / Borough / City Councillors)

 

Where they operate: Local authorities (district, borough, city, or unitary councils) so in our case we're talking about Wakefield Council and Leeds Council

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• Who elects them? Residents of a local ward

• Elections: In Wakefield and Leeds a third of councillors are up for election every year. There are usually three years in a row with elections followed by one year without know as the fallow year. 

• Term length: Typically 4 years

• Representation size: Each councillor represents roughly 2,000–10,000+ people, depending on area

 

 

What they do:

 

• Decide on:

   

  • Housing and planning

  • Waste collection

  • Local roads

  • Schools (some responsibilities)

  • Social care

• Vote on council budgets and policies

• Represent constituents’ concerns to the council

 

 

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🏛️  Members of Parliament (MPs)

 

Where they operate: National level (UK Parliament) this includes me!

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• Who elects them? Voters in a parliamentary constituency

• Elections: At least every 5 years (general elections)

• Term length: Up to 5 years

• Representation size: About 70,000–80,000 people per MP

 

 

What they do:

 

• Make and vote on national laws

• Debate issues affecting the whole country

• Hold the government to account

• Represent their constituency’s interests in Westminster

• Help individuals with national-level issues (e.g. benefits, immigration, tax problems)

 

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🏙️ Elected Mayors (Combined Authorities)

 

Where they operate: Regional level (e.g. Greater Manchester, West Midlands, London Mayor) this includes Tracy Brabin as our West Yorkshire mayor.

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• Who elects them? Residents across a combined authority region

• Elections: Usually every 4 years

• Term length: Typically 4 years

• Representation size: Millions of people (entire regions)

 

 

What they do:

 

• Oversee regional strategy for:

   

  • Transport

  • Economic development

  • Housing strategy

  • Skills and jobs

• Work with local councils and central government

• Often have powers devolved from national government

 

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🎩 Ceremonial Mayors (the ones with chains)

 

These are very different from elected mayors of combined authorities.

 

Where they operate: Local councils (towns, boroughs, cities)

 

• Usually a councillor chosen by other councillors

• Role is ceremonial, not executive

 

 

What they do:

 

• Represent the council at events

• Attend civic ceremonies

• Promote community activities

• Chair council meetings (in some cases)