Seats in some local councils in England are up
for grabs today.
Local councils are responsible for many public services
including collecting your rubbish, maintenance local roads and providing care
for the elderly and disabled.
They are independent of central government but receive funding from government grants.
There are a total of 317 local councils in England and those elected to represent them are
known as councillors – you can see some of the different types below.
These are different from MPs, who are elected members of
central government and sit in the House of Commons. They are responsible for an area known
as a constituency.
This means representing and helping the people
that live in this area, which sometimes involves MPs interacting with local
councils.
However, while MPs can query a decision a council has made on
behalf of a constituent, they cannot overrule a council decision or tell a
councillor what to do.
