Becoming a councillor is an extremely rewarding experience. It gives you the opportunity to help your local community and be part of a dedicated team providing key services for your area. Being a councillor is a great way to gain political experience and useful skills in public speaking, debating and problem-solving.
New councillors are good news. They mean fresh ideas and fresh enthusiasm, and that will be good for your council.
If you are interested in becoming a councillor and getting involved as a volunteer for the Conservative Party, you can let us know by emailing us directly - office@fhconservatives.org.uk
Could you become a councillor?
To be eligible you must be:
- A British subject or a citizen of the Irish Republic or the EU and resident in the UK.
- At least eighteen years old on the day you are nominated.
- Either on the electoral register for the council area in which you are seeking election.
- Or have lived or worked in that council area for at least the last twelve months.
Becoming a Conservative Party council candidate
To be nominated to stand as a Conservative Party council candidate, you need to be a member of the Conservative Party.
For information on how to join the Party, please click here.
Folkestone & Hythe Conservative Association will manage the selection process for council candidates in our area.
Unless there is a by-election (where we will use the emergency selection procedure), the next set of elections will take place in 2023 for Folkestone & Hythe District Council, Town Councils and Parish Councils.
Applications for our Candidate's List will open on the 1st July 2022.
All existing Councillors will need to reapply to join the list.
Shortlisting and interviews will take place through August, September & October 2022 led by our Deputy Chairman Political.
Successful candidates will be presented to Election Ward members before May 2023 for the final selection.
Community Champion Programme
The CCA has recently developed a new membership offering to support those considering becoming a Conservative councillor. The Community Champion Programme aims to highlight the important role councillors play within their communities and inspire more people to apply to become local government candidates. You can join the scheme by becoming an Associate Plus member of the CCA.
To find out more about the Community Champion Programme, please email cca@conservatives.com.
Be a Councillor Project
The CCA works closely with the Be a Councillor Project run by the Local Government Association. It aims to celebrate the important work which councillors do and encourage new candidates from a wider talent pool to come forward. This will ensure that councils not only reflect their electorate in terms of gender, age or ethnicity but attracts people with different personal and professional experiences, raising the quality of candidates and therefore the quality of councillors. For more information and to hear the experiences of some of our current Conservative councillors, please download the Be a Conservative Councillor guide.
Please also visit www.beacouncillor.org.uk.
