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Coventry City Council

Question: If you\\\'re a councillor for a ward, do you have to live there, or can you live in anohter ward?

Asked by jamie22 to David, Ed, Jim, Kevin, Lynnette, Rae on 7 Oct 2010 in Categories: .

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  • Photo: Lynnette KellyLynnette Kelly answered on 7 Oct 2010:

    No you don’t have to live there. You have to live in the city, or else work in the city, but you represent any ward that wants you.

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  • Photo: Kevin FosterKevin Foster answered on 7 Oct 2010:

    You do not have to live in your ward, although a lot of Councillors do. In order to stand for election to the City Council you must either be registered to vote in the local elections, have worked in Coventry for the previous 12 months or lived in Coventry for the last 12 months. In some cases renting/owning property in the City may let you stand.

    When I first stood the law said you had to be over 21 but that was changed to needing to be 18 a few years ago.

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  • Photo: Jim O'BoyleJim O'Boyle answered on 7 Oct 2010:

    You don’t have to live in the ward to represent it. In Labour you have to be the best person rather than the ‘local’ person. The only rule is you have to live or work in the city to be a councillor.

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  • Photo: Rachel LancasterRachel Lancaster answered on 7 Oct 2010:

    No, you can live in another ward but I live in Holbrooks the ward I represent. I think if you live in the area like I do you get a better understanding of the problems facing people there.

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  • Photo: Ed RuaneEd Ruane answered on 7 Oct 2010:

    You can definitely live in another ward, I think the Council rules to become a councillor are that you have to live within the city boundaries that you represent OR you have to work in the city you represent of a minmum of 15-20 hours per week…I think.

    It’s best that you live in the city so you are not only aware but also experience the same issues and problems as everybody else does who lives in Coventry.

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  • Photo: David SkinnerDavid Skinner answered on 7 Oct 2010:

    You can live anywhere in the City, but I much prefer to live in my own Ward. It means that I cannot go anywhere without being stopped by residents, but that is how it should be.

    One night, I went out for a short walk and met so many people that by the time I got back to the bottom of my road, my legs stopped working. My wife was away with grandchildren, so I could not call her.

    I struggled to get to a lamp post and hung onto it for some time. Then I just got to the next and hung on again, and so on, until I finally got back indoors and could not move for ages.

    Anyone looking out of the window probably thought that their Councillor was drunk. In fact, I hardly drink at all, and never on a day when I am going to drive, of course.

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