What do Milton Keynes City Councillors do?

Councillors need to represent and work for those who live in their ward, contribute to policy about the future of the whole of Milton Keynes, and if appointed to certain committees they make regulatory decisions.

Wards in Milton Keynes each have three elected councillors representing them. As a unitary authority, Milton Keynes City Council is responsible for all tasks which would normally be split between a County and District in other parts of the country.

Representing their ward

Councillors have an essential role representing the people who live in the area they are elected to. This usually starts with finding out issues of concern to individuals and groups in their local area, and either carrying out casework (where individuals need help on specific issues) or leading campaigns on issues which affect groups across their communities. The work can involve many other organisations.  At Council meetings, they make sure that the issues and concerns of their residents are raised when policies are discussed, but the decision taken has to be the best for the whole city.

To do this well, it is important that go out into the community, speaking to residents all through the year and getting to know local groups, organisations and businesses. Among the local organisations are Parish/Town/Community councils which have responsibilities for things like many play grounds, allotments, and some of the green spaces across MK.

As part of a Liberal Democrat Focus Team in a three-councillor ward not everyone needs to do everything equally, some are happier knocking on doors and visiting residents to find out their issues all year round, while others might spend more time on pursuing complex cases with the Council. What is important is that the team do ensure residents are well represented and supported when they have issues.

Attending council, including policy and regulatory committees

Councils have a range of committees scrutinising decisions about policy, and others which make regulatory decisions. Policy committees often have a more strategic role planning for services (such as for those in care) into the future, to ensure a positive vision for the area is being delivered. Regulatory committees make more immediate legal decisions, such as planning applications for new developments, or licensing for restaurants and pubs.

For committees to be well run and productive it is essential for elected councillors to be prepared, take part in training and read papers provided by Council Officers beforehand and using that information to contribute to discussions and decisions.

That sounds like a lot!

Running for election for council, and then representing an area once elected does take a large amount of time, for which councillors on a Unitary Authority like MK Council receive an allowance of around £11k per year.

People usually find being a councillor very rewarding, but it can be a strain to balance on top of a full-time job and family life, meaning those who are retired are often over-represented on many councils. Therefore political parties such as the Liberal Democrats do need to work to encourage younger councillors, and those from a diverse range of backgrounds to run for election in winnable areas, to ensure communities across Milton Keynes are properly represented.

I'm interested in working for my community, what do I do next?

If you would like to find out more please contact Milton Keynes Liberal Democrat Party Chair Rebecca Cave (rebecca_cave@outlook.com,  07397 299652) and let her know you're interested. Rebecca will be happy to meet you and discuss how you could get involved.

We currently have Lib Dem Focus Teams representing about a third of the residents across Milton Keynes. If you live in one of those areas, you will receive a local Focus leaflets every few months which keep you up to date with what the local Focus Team is doing. If you want a taster of the work, please contact them - they'd be happy to involve you.

We would like to have Lib Dem Focus Teams covering more of Milton Keynes, but it is also important to make sure we campaign in areas we can win. New Focus teams in areas not currently represented by a Lib Dem councillor will need a lot of support initially. 

This is part of the reason why we want to replace the First Past the Post (FPTP) electoral system with a more proportional voting system. Under FPTP another 50 votes in a marginal ward could elect another councillor, while another 800 votes in a ward which is 'safe' for another party might move us from a distant third to a distant second in the MK council elections. 

We are looking for more helpers and potential candidates for council seats who could stand in the future. We need people who will both consider standing as a candidate in an existing Lib Dem held ward, and those who are happy to help us build Lib Dem Focus teams in new areas as we aim to retake MK City Council.