Councillor - United Kingdom

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, all local authorities are overseen by elected councillors.

These include:

1. Unitary authorities
2. County councils and District councils
3. Parish, town and community councils
4. The Common Council of the City of London (where they are known as aldermen and councilmen)

According to "Debrett's Correct Form" the English title "Councillor" (often shortened to "Cllr") only applies to elected members of City, Borough or District councils. However, there is no legal basis for this restriction, and in practice the title is applied to all councillors at all levels of local government. Where necessary, parish and county councillors are differentiated by the use of a more full title, such as "Town Councillor" or "County Councillor". The title precedes the holder's rank or title (e.g. "Cllr Dr Jenny Smith" or "Cllr Sir James Smith) and for women only it precedes their title of marital status (e.g. "Cllr Mrs Joan Smith"; rarely "Miss" but never "Ms").

Councillors are typically elected as members of political parties or alternatively as independents. Councils may also co-opt unelected councillors to fill vacancies on the council where insufficient candidates have stood for election, although in practice this is rare outside parish councils. Once elected they are meant to represent all their constituents in the whole authority, and not just those who voted for them or just those in the district or ward they were elected in. They are bound by a code of conduct enforced by standards boards. The 2007 Local Elections in the UK saw the age limit for councillors fall to 18, leading to younger people standing.