Know your elected members and officers

Firstly it is well worth knowing who your ward councillors are. These are the democratically elected members who represent your area within the local authority. There will be at least one but some more densely populated wards will have more than one. The easiest ways to find out about your local councillors are to either contact your local council or go to www.writetothem.com

It is also worth knowing which councillors are in the cabinet (also known as the executive board). Cabinet members have a specific broad area of responsibility eg social services, and it is useful to consider who holds which portfolio responsibility and whether their responsibilities impact on your work in any way. Ensure that the relevant elected members know about your organisation - invite them to come to your organisation; go and see them at their local surgery session; send them information or updates on what you are doing in their area (of geography or interest); invite them to your AGM.

Similarly, it is helpful to make contact with key local government officers if their remit impacts on your work. Whilst the elected members make decisions about the direction of travel in each local authority area, it is the officers who implement these decisions. The more they know about you, the more they are likely to contact you when matters of interest arise.