In England, as well as having Parliament and the government who are responsible for running the whole country, we also have local government in each area.
How politics works
Local politicians
Government
The name for the group of people who are elected to help run the country.
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Local government
The name for the group of people who are elected to run your local area.
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Council
This is the local government where things are decided about the area you live in.
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Council
This is the local government where things are decided about the area you live in.
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Council
This is the local government where things are decided about the area you live in.
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The council is responsible for making decisions about things that affect their local area.
Council
This is the local government where things are decided about the area you live in.
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Council
This is the local government where things are decided about the area you live in.
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Local politician
Local politicians are ordinary people who are elected to help make decisions about local services. There are different types of local politician and they are called councillors.
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Local politicians are ordinary people who decide they want to help make decisions about local services.
Local politician
Local politicians are ordinary people who are elected to help make decisions about local services. There are different types of local politician and they are called councillors.
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There are different types of local politician and they are called local councillors, town councillors, or parish councillors. This depends on the area the councillor works in.
Local politician
Local politicians are ordinary people who are elected to help make decisions about local services. There are different types of local politician and they are called councillors.
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Local councillor
They are elected politicians who have the job of running local services.
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Each council has money to spend on services for people in that area.
Council
This is the local government where things are decided about the area you live in.
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These services are things like, collecting the rubbish, running libraries, repairing the roads and pavements and looking after local parks and museums.
Council
This is the local government where things are decided about the area you live in.
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These services are very important as they are there for local people who may need support in their lives.
For example, some people might need support to live independently, or with getting about in their community. Some people may need support because of a disability.
Community
A community is a group of people who live in the same area, or who share similar ideas.
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To pay for these services the council gets some money from the government, and they collect money from local people, called council tax.
Council
This is the local government where things are decided about the area you live in.
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Government
The name for the group of people who are elected to help run the country.
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Council tax
The money people pay to the council for services like rubbish collection, libraries and Social Services.
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Local councillors have the job of deciding how to spend this money and which services to provide for local people.
Local councillor
They are elected politicians who have the job of running local services.
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Local councillors discuss these things in meetings and set up groups, called committees, to make important decisions about these services.
Local councillor
They are elected politicians who have the job of running local services.
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Committee
A group of people who work together to share ideas about something, for example, a committee can get together to look at how people on benefits can work, or bullying in the workplace or at school.
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You can have a say in who becomes a local councillor by voting for them at a local election.
Local councillor
They are elected politicians who have the job of running local services.
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Local election
A local election is when you can vote for your local politicians, called councillors. They make decisions about your local area and local services.
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Each council area is split up into smaller areas, called wards. You can find out what ward you live in by contacting your local council.
Council
This is the local government where things are decided about the area you live in.
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Each ward has councillors that represent the people who live in that area on the council.
Council
This is the local government where things are decided about the area you live in.
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A lot of local councillors are members of a political party, although some councillors are independent.
Local councillor
They are elected politicians who have the job of running local services.
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Political party
This is a group of people who join together because they have similar ideas about things, like how to run the country.
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Local election
A local election is when you can vote for your local politicians, called councillors. They make decisions about your local area and local services.
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Almost anyone can try and become a local councillor if they want to. There are some rules about this and to find out more you can contact your local council.
Local councillor
They are elected politicians who have the job of running local services.
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People who want to become a councillor will often print leaflets and put them through your door before an election to tell you what they want to do if they get elected.
This is to try and help people decide who they want to vote for.
Once they have been elected, your local councillors start the job of representing the people who live in their area.
Local councillor
They are elected politicians who have the job of running local services.
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You can contact your local councillor about local issues if you want to. You may have more than one councillor in your area. You can write to them, email them or arrange to meet them.
Local councillor
They are elected politicians who have the job of running local services.
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You can go to a council meeting if you want and see how councillors make decisions.
Council
This is the local government where things are decided about the area you live in.
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Do you know who your local councillors are?
You can find out by contacting your local council.
Or you can go to www.councillor.gov.uk (This will open the website in a new window.)
The Greater London Authority (GLA)
If you live in London, as well as having local councillors who represent you, you will also have people called Members of the London Assembly who represent you on the Greater London Authority (GLA).
Local councillor
They are elected politicians who have the job of running local services.
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Greater London Authority (GLA)
Group who help make decisions about what happens in London.
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The GLA was set up to make decisions that affect the whole of London. These decisions are about things like flooding, homeless people, and transport.
Greater London Authority (GLA)
Group who help make decisions about what happens in London.
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There are 25 Members of the London Assembly who are elected, and like local councillors their job is to represent people when decisions are made about these things for the whole of London.
Local councillor
They are elected politicians who have the job of running local services.
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Members of the London Assembly work with the Mayor of London who is the head of the GLA.
Greater London Authority (GLA)
Group who help make decisions about what happens in London.
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The Mayor of London and the Members of the London Assembly are also elected every 4 years.
You can contact the Mayor and the Members of the London Assembly to find out more about how the GLA works.
Greater London Authority (GLA)
Group who help make decisions about what happens in London.
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Or you can write to
Greater London Authority
City Hall
The Queen's Walk
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London SE1 2AA
A group of people who work for the council and provide services for those who need support.
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