What do councillors do?
Councillors are the elected representatives of the people. They can have different roles:
Executive role
Some councillors (currently 10) are members of the cabinet. It is these councillors who are responsible for taking most of the important decisions that have to be made. They do this at cabinet meetings, with the benefit of written reports and advice given to them by relevant senior officers of the council.
Other councillors serve on committees dealing with specific functions of the council. For example, there is a Planning Committee, which deals with contentious planning applications and there is Pensions Committee which oversees the running of the Tyne and Wear Pensions Fund.
Scrutiny role
With the exception of the Mayor, those councillors who are not members of the cabinet can be members of a scrutiny committee. These committees scrutinise decisions of the executive and carry out detailed research and investigation into specific issues to assist the council in developing its policies and service delivery.
Representative role
Councillors have a duty to their constituents, including those who did not vote for them. They will take up queries and problems with the council on behalf of constituents and generally try to assist them in whatever way they can.
The council has set up a series of Community Area Forums, where ward councillors discuss local issues and where local communities have a chance to engage with those councillors who represent their interests to the council.
Ward councillors also hold regular ward surgeries where constituents can come and speak to them about their queries and problems.
Councillors are drawn from ordinary members of the community. Most councillors stand as candidates representing political parties but you do not need to be a member of a political party to be a candidate for election to the council.