Many individuals want to take a greater role in their community and give something back by becoming a local councillor. It is a fulfilling role, but also an incredibly time consuming one, which should not be taken on lightly without full consideration.

To stand in a council election there are some legal requirements. First, you must be a British or Commonwealth citizen of at least 21 years of age, be of sound mind, free from bankruptcy and imprisonment (no more than 3 months can have been served within the last 5 years). You cannot be an employee of the council you are standing for, or a senior manager of any other council in Britain and must not have committed a disqualifying election offence within the period specified for that offence (as stated by the court). In addition you must either be on the electoral register for the council area you are standing for, have lived within the council area you are standing for 12 months, have worked there for the last 12 months or owned premises there for 12 months. This is not within the ward but the councils boundaries.

If you are able to pass the above criteria, then you are entitled to stand for council. Your first step should be to work out how you wish to stand: for a registered political party or as an independent. People can no longer put down whatever they wish on a ballot paper: they either need official authorisation of a registered party or are independents. If you have political leanings one way or another, most local political parties will be more than happy to hear from you, although you will have to be aware that selections for winnable wards can often be incredibly tough, with many candidates competing for the same nomination.

If, on the other hand, you wish to stand as an independent your job is going to be much harder. Registered political parties have the benefit of having a pool of knowledge to call upon, since more than one individual is involved. Some of the larger political parties, such as the Conservative Party and the Labour Party, will also employ full time professional staff to support in the more complex areas such as election law. They are also much more likely to have existing structures locally to assist with the logistics such as delivering leaflets, knocking on doors, helping electors to the polls on the day of the elections.

As a lone individual independent your job is much harder, but you will have greater freedom. You can devise your own personal manifesto that you are standing on, rather than being bound by party lines. You can stand where you want without having to go through a selection. But you will also have to work a lot harder to get your message across. National parties get far greater exposure from the media and financial support from donors: an independent has to find their own funds and promote their own campaign, using just contacts and friends.

Once you have decided, contact your local councils electoral services department. You can find the number for this by calling directory enquiries and being routed from the main council switchboard. It is from the staff here you will need to discover the really important information: the date of the next election in the area you wish to stand, the deadlines for all paperwork (including, most importantly, the nomination forms so you can stand in the first place), the amount you will be allowed to spend on your election and the relevant forms. Most councils will have an information pack for candidates, containing this information and other helpful advice and legal necessities. However if yours does not, contact the Electoral Commission on 0207 271 0505, as they are the overseeing body for all elections in Great Britain and have a comprehensive database of information.

The basic requirements to legally stand as a candidate include that you submit a valid nomination paper containing 10 signatories of electors on the electoral register at the date of the election for the ward in which you are standing (2 for parish and town council). Candidates are entitled to one copy of the electoral register for their ward, but please make sure this is up to date as the register changes on a monthly basis. Ensure that you get your nomination form in before the deadline so that there is time for checking and the gathering of a new nomination form if there are any problems with the original one. Your timetable from the electoral services department should give you all the relevant submission dates and deadlines for this.

Another requirement you are legally obliged to do as a candidate is to submit a valid return on election expenses within one month of the elections result being announced, which are a true and detailed account of all monies spent in the election period. You can, if you wish, appoint an election agent who is responsible for this instead, but if you do not appoint such an individual (by the date given on the timetable) you will be seen to be your own election agent. Election expenses cover the period laid out in the guidelines and to overspend is a criminal offence. These limits are set so that no party or individual is allowed an unfair advantage during election time, although you can spend as much as you wish outside of it. It is also very important to know that only the agent, or any nominated sub agents, is authorised to spend money. This is to stop expenditure getting out of control.

A list of election offences will be provided by your local council, which will include (but not be restricted to) bribery, treating and impersonation. There are also many other rules: for example all printed literature must carry an imprint, which tells of the agent, candidate and printers addresses. It is very important that you read these rules in great detail for some of them are quite complex.

Although it is by no means a legal requirement, if you wish to be elected you will also have to campaign. Leaflets are an excellent way to get your message across to as many people as possible in a short space of time, but personal contact is far more efficient, if time consuming. Street stalls (with permission), door to door canvassing, house and public meetings all provide opportunities to meet and connect with the voters.

If you have not been put off already by the amount of work involved, it is worth giving one last thought to whether you will be able to meet the demands of being a councillor. Time requirements vary on the level of council, but you should allow for at least 2 evenings a week being taken up with meetings and dealing with residents problems. In addition there will also be large amounts of paperwork to be read and appraised before meetings and numerous calls and letters from local residents. Most councillors do the job part-time, as payment is expenses only unless you are given special responsibilities such as committee chairing. It is a labour of love, not a job with great financial rewards.

Being a councillor is a time consuming job, but an incredibly rewarding one also. If you still wish to stand, good luck and keep me updated on how you go on!