Wanted: councillors

THE Yate and Sodbury area's councils need a key ingredient this year - the councillors who will make the decisions.

In this year's local elections on May 4, all 61 seats on South Gloucestershire Council and a total of 492 town and parish council seats across the district are up for grabs.

The elections come around every four years and are a chance for adult residents of an area - whether a member of a political party or independent - to win a place representing their community and helping decide how public money is spent.

Anyone who would like to be a parish or South Gloucestershire councillor can get nomination papers now - they can be submitted between March 27 and 4pm on April 4.

To be nominated as a candidate, you need the signatures of two residents on the current electoral register for the ward you want to stand in.

Unlike parliamentary elections, you do not need to pay a deposit to stand as a candidate.

There are 17 seats to fill on Yate Town

Your name in the ballot box?

Picture: Local Democracy Reporting Service

Council: nine in its North ward, six in Central ward and two in South ward.

Sodbury Town Council has 15 councillors - five each for its Chipping Sodbury North East, Chipping Sodbury South West and Old Sodbury wards.

Dodington Parish council also has 15 seats to fill - eight for the North West ward, four for North East ward and three for South ward.

There are 15 places on Frampton Cotterell Parish Council - five each in its Central, East and West wards.

The newly-renamed Westerleigh & Coalpit Heath Parish Council has nine councillors to elect, seven for its Coalpit Heath ward and two for Westerleigh.

Iron Acton has nine councillors to elect in two wards - five for Iron Acton and four for East ward.

Other parish councils in the area do not have separate wards: Rangeworthy has five councillors, Wickwar has nine, Horton has five, Hawkesbury and Charfield each have nine and Cromhall has seven.

There are fewer seats but more power and responsibility for members of South Gloucestershire Council, where three seats are up for grabs in the Yate North ward, plus two each in Yate Central, Dodington, and Chipping Sodbury & Cotswold Edge.

Frampton Cotterell ward, which includes Coalpit Heath, Iron Acton, Rangeworthy and Tytherington, elects three councillors, while Boyd Valley, which includes Westerleigh, elects two and Charfield one.

South Gloucestershire Council is encouraging anyone who wants to make a "real difference" to consider standing for election.

The council is holding briefing sessions for prospective candidates at Kingswood Council Chamber on March 6 and 9.

For more information about becoming a candidate, visit beta.southglos.gov.uk/ stand-for-election, call 01454 863030, email electoral.services@southglos.gov.uk or write to Electoral Registration, PO Box 1953, Badminton Road, Bristol, BS37 0DB.