Councils

Councils are local authorities they are responsible for various aspects of local government. There are several levels in every area with different responsibilities. Councils are composed of the elected councillors who form the governing body. This is chaired by the Mayor. Working with this elected body is the Chief Executive and the employees of the Council. Like any large organisation each department can sometimes not know what another is doing. If you want their support you need to work at getting them on board. The Mayor and the Councillor who chairs the tourist function in each council are influential people. They are worth getting to know and becoming part of your publicity team. There will also be the paid officer who is also responsible for tourism who might help you jump through some of the hurdles put down by other departments.

The Mayor

The Mayor (sometimes called Chairman) is usually full time during their year of office. They are usually elected by the councillors although some authorities have a directly elected Mayor, in which case they are more like a Chief Executive and are likely to be too busy to be heavily involved in your project (e.g. Ken Livingstone in London ). When not chairing the council meetings they are the “head” of the local area for that year, a bit like we have a monarch for the country as a whole. They can't be seen to break the rules but they can be very influential with awkward council officials. Ask for the Mayor's secretary to make an appointment. You could invite the local mayor to open the event. This should be quite useful when dealing with council officials. They will be reluctant to be awkward if the Mayor is on your side. “Do you mind if I consult the Mayor's office about you reluctance to grant permission for an event that he/she will be opening”?

Tourist Authorities

There are various levels of tourist authority including one for the whole country. Here is an article which describes the various levels and what they do. You will have to search for you local tourist organisations and get them on board. Some of these may be run by local councils.

Local Councils

Here is a link to local councils in your area. Below is a brief description of what they do:

a). County Councils

County Councils are usually the Education Authority and are responsible for publicly funded schools in their area. They will have an officer who is responsible for history, usually called the History Advisor. In addition there will be an education committee made up of elected councillors and chaired by a senior councillor who will be interested in the educational content of your event. Private schools have their own umbrella body which will help you make contact in your area.

b). Unitary and Metropolitan Authorities

Unitary Authorities are similar in their responsibilities of County Council but in an urban area. In addition they have the responsibilities of District or Borough Councils

c). District or Borough Councils

District or Borough Councils are the authorities which are responsible for local planning for signposting your event. They also have a local tourist function and can have some museum services. This is where you will find the Mayor.

d). Town and Parish Councils

Town and Parish Councils are the lowest level of local government. They represent anything for 100s of residents up to 15,000 or so. They have a small budget to spend on local services proportionate to their size and the whim of the higher levels of local authority that fund them. This is where you will find the councillors who are really interested in their local community. They may become your strongest allies. They are allowed to apply for grants though the “ Awards for All ” grant scheme and could form useful partners in your event.