A Day in The Life of a Councillor

Being a councillor is a very unique and varied role, and no two days are the same. It is one of the most important roles in local democracy as councillors serve various communities and people within their ward.

East Side Story caught up with councillor Katie Dye to get a behind-the-scenes look at life as a local representative.

Cllr Katie Dye at the Community Apple Juicing at the Seacroft Forest Garden

What Is The Role Of A Local Councillor?

Councillors represent the people in their ward (or local area), and Leeds has thirty-three wards. We are a ‘critical friend’ to the council, and we hold the quality of the council’s services to account on behalf of residents. We make decisions at a city and ward level about many issues, such as housing, the environment, planning and how community resources are spent. We also work with individual residents to help solve problems they may be having or things they would like to see change. We have a positive vision for our area and work with local groups and organisations to help provide services and make improvements.

How Can People Make Contact With Councillors, And What Kind Of Issues Can They Highlight?

We run drop-in surgeries where anyone can just turn up to talk to us and ask for advice or help. In Killingbeck and Seacroft, we hold three of these every week in local community centres and a supermarket pop-up session. You can also contact us by email, phone, or on Facebook. Residents can bring any issue they would like to; we will always seek to help or signpost them to someone who can.

What Is The Average Day Like For A Councillor?

I love this question! I get asked it often. There is no average day! It’s one of the things I enjoy. I usually answer it by listing some of the things I have done this week:

Visited constituents to discuss various problems they have raised
Met with individuals and organisations to discuss the council’s work on climate change
Attended council meetings on topics such as housing, community work, young people, environment and a six-hour-long meeting to discuss and vote on the council’s budget!

Attended meetings in the ward such as: We are Seacroft, School Governors, Climate Action Seacroft and Residents Association meetings
Held our weekly drop-in surgeries

Prepared speeches for my Climate role
Worked on a wide variety of cases or issues for residents

In addition, we churn through at least 400 emails that we receive every week!

What Do You Think Opportunities Are Like For Women In Politics In The 2020s?

I think there are opportunities everywhere for women to be involved in politics. Politics needs women. Although 57% of the Leeds Labour group of councillors are women, we are actively seeking more applications from women. Opportunities also exist in campaign groups, trade unions or community groups – that is all politics. If you care about our world and the people in it – politics is for you.

What Are The Top Priorities For People in East Leeds From a Councillor’s Point Of View?

We would tend to reflect and represent the priorities that people bring to us. However, issues raised frequently by our constituents include issues with their housing or housing repairs, the environment such as graffiti and rubbish, road repairs, anti-social behaviour such as the dangerous use of motorbikes and E-scooters, and improving our parks. We reflect these in our priority, too and work with the community, police and council officers to enhance and improve our area.

Tell Us a Bit About Your Climate-Related Work?

I chair a committee called the Climate Emergency Advisory Committee. Our job is to scrutinise the work that Leeds is doing both as a council and a city to meet our ambitious target of being carbon neutral by 2030. We examine the progress being made towards this target and make suggestions for further work. The Climate Emergency is an enormous challenge, but there is no more important issue facing us. I am proud to say that Leeds has made excellent progress and has been recognised as one of the global leaders among Local Authorities by the Carbon Disclosure Project. We still have a long way to go, and there is much to do.

Do Local Councillors Get Paid?

Councillors do not get paid a salary, but we do get an allowance. Every councillor gets a basic allowance; councillors who take on additional roles which take up more time also get a ‘special responsibility allowance’. The basic allowance in Leeds is £16,000 before tax. Some people think we are paid the same as MPs!

What Services Does The Council Manage?

The council runs services for us all, such as education, housing, planning, licensing (e.g. food, alcohol and taxis), our highways, social services, libraries, leisure centres, museum services, and waste collection. We try to make the best use of the money we have to deliver the best possible service we can. This is not easy. We have had £2.5 billion cut from our central government budget since 2010. The council spends 60% of the budget on Adult and Child Social Care, where we look after the most vulnerable in our society.

How do Councillors Keep in Touch With What Their Residents Most Want?

We talk to people at every available opportunity, at meetings, drop-ins, and when out and about. Community Groups on social media are useful too to see what people are talking about and the issues they are bringing up. In Killingbeck and Seacroft, all three councillors live in the ward, so we are in touch with people every day. We are local residents and personally feel and share the concerns and ambitions of our fellow residents who want a thriving, safe and enjoyable community.

What Advice Would You Give to Anyone Wanting to be a Councillor?

Be passionate about your community. Be prepared to work hard. Join a political party. Learn to really listen. It is a very challenging but extremely rewarding role and one that I’m honoured to have.

Interested in Learning More?

If you would like to get in touch with your local councillors in LS14 and LS15, then the following drop-in advice sessions are available:

Saturdays 10am -11am at the HUB, Deacon House by Tesco, LS14 6JD
Thursdays 6pm -7pm at Denis Healey Centre, Foundry Mill Street, LS14 6RD
Mondays 5pm – 5.45pm at Crossgates Community Centre, Maryfield Avenue, Leeds LS15 7TU

You can also contact the following councillors using the email addresses below: