Council and democracy

As a result of the Local Government Act 2000, the role of councillors has changed with the introduction of an executive/scrutiny system. The council is run on a system similar to that at central government, with an executive to make major policies and councillors to scrutinise or examine these decisions in detail.

Your councillor is the person elected every four years to represent your area.  They can help if you are dissatisfied with a council service by advising or directing you to someone who can help sort out your problem and can sometimes progress the case on your behalf.  This is often done in advice surgeries where you can meet with the councillor for your ward and discuss your problem.

As community leaders they put forward proposals to improve their ward, which may include bringing together different community groups to develop a case for change.

The Council is made up of the following political groups:

• Conservative Group - 37 Members of the Council 
• Labour Group - 33 Members of the Council

The political representation for each ward is:

• Addiscombe - Labour 
• Ashburton - Conservative 
• Bensham Manor - Labour
• Broad Green - Labour 
• Coulsdon East - Conservative 
• Coulsdon West - Conservative
• Croham - Conservative 
• Fairfield - Conservative 
• Fieldway - Labour 
• Heathfield - Conservative 
• Kenley - Conservative 
• New Addington - split ward (1 Labour and 1 Conservative Member)
• Norbury - Labour 
• Purley - Conservative 
• Sanderstead - Conservative 
• Selhurst - Labour 
• Selsdon & Ballards - Conservative 
• Shirley - Conservative 
• South Norwood - Labour 
• Thornton Heath - Labour 
• Upper Norwood - Labour 
• Waddon - Conservative 
• West Thornton - Labour 
• Woodside - Labour