They are usually members of a political party, e.g. Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, although some may choose not to belong to any party and are called Independents. The London Borough of Brent has 31 wards. Each councillor represents the local people within that ward and two councillors serve most wards, although the three largest wards have three representatives. Councillors take decisions which affect the lives of every resident and have implications for the well being of the whole community. Ultimate responsibility for Brent's performance lies with the Council's elected representatives.
Councillors carry out their duties on a voluntary basis, and usually have full time jobs.
They do not receive a salary, only an allowance to help meet expenses. Councillors are your only democratically elected local representatives, they are entirely accountable to local residents. Sometimes, councillors may have to take a 'borough-wide' view and consider the interests of all the residents in Brent, as well as those people living in their particular ward. In doing this they usually act in line with their political party's policies. Every four years, local elections are held to elect or re-elect councillors for all the wards in the Borough, and the residents of Brent exercise their choice as to who they would like to be represented by on the Council.