Breckland is a District Council which means:
Districts are the most recognisable form of local government in large
parts of England. For those areas which retain two-tier local government, districts usually form the
lower tier of that arrangement, with counties forming the upper tier.
Districts tend
to have responsibility for a number of areas, including:
- Tax collection (Council Tax & Non-Domestic Rates)
- Leisure Services
- Refuse collection
- Housing
- Planning
- Arts & Entertainment
- Environmental Health
Each
district raises taxes from residents on behalf of itself, and the county council through the Council
Tax. It also raises income from business through the Non-Domestic Rates system, which is co-ordinated
nationally.
Councillors
The Local Government Act 2000 introduced an executive and scrutiny system
to council operations, changing the way our councillors perform their duties. Breckland has 36 wards
with 54 councillors; the council is run on a system similar to central government, with an executive
to make major policies and councillors to scrutinise or examine in detail the decisions of the executive.
What do Councillors do?
A councillor is elected every 4 years by a simple majority (first past
the post) system by citizens of parishes, which combine to make electoral wards. They can:
- help you if you are dissatisfied with a council service
by
advising or directing you to someone who can help sort out your problem and can sometimes progress the
case on your behalf
- run advice surgeries
where you can meet with the councillor
for your ward and discuss your problem, on some occasions make home visits or solve issues over the
phone
- put forward proposals to improve the ward they represent
which
may include bringing together different community groups to develop a case for change
- help make decisions about council services
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