Local Government Councillors

The local councillor is the person your neighbourhood elected to represent you at council.

This person is likely to have a strong interest in local issues, and will at least want to hear about what you are doing to make your neighbourhood more walk-friendly. They might also be willing to support you, including by:

• writing a letter of endorsement for your work, which you can then show to other groups or people to improve your credibility;
• telling you about funding or grants that you might be able to apply for;
• publicly supporting your work, by appearing at your meetings and events or agreeing to be interviewed by local media; or
• advocating at council for changes to policies, funding or laws that would help you.

Doing your research

Before you get in touch, it’s worth doing some research. Find out:

• whether your local councillor is affiliated with any party or group within council;
• what council's policy is on the issue you’re interested in – such as traffic management, environmental sustainability, or improving community connections; and
• what council is currently doing or funding in your local area – or what they’ve promised to do and haven’t yet started!

You are more likely to be successful in your approach to your local councillor if you can:

• Demonstrate that there is broad community support for what you’re trying to do, or that it would significantly benefit the community (see building your case).
• Align your cause with their stated policy (or, to be cynical, use their rhetoric to make your case).

Getting in touch

To get in touch with your local councillor, you could:

• Send an email or letter with some information about your group – your local council’s website will have contact details for councillors (follow the link from the Local Government Victoria website).
• Call the council offices and ask how you can make an appointment to see your local councillor.
• Check if your council’s monthly meetings are open to the public – and if they are, see if there is a public question time which you could use to introduce your group.
• Iinvite them to one of your meetings or events by phone, letter or email, or putting put together a ‘walking tour’ of the places that you most want to change, and inviting them to join you.