Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

Learn about Democracy

Would you like to know more about how decision making works here at Stockton Council? Then you have come to the right place.

Democratic Services provides a variety of information on this website to help you to understand more about the Council, the services it provides, the decision it makes, and how you can influence those decisions.

We have put together a list of websites offering useful information and resources which will be useful to children, young people, teachers and community workers, as well as the general public. The list can be viewed here. If you cannot find what you are looking for, please contact us and we will do our best to help.

We are also involved in a number of campaigns and activities throughout the year to promote awareness about local decision making and opportunities to get involved. This is often done by working with other council departments, public services, organisations and community and voluntary groups.

Here are some examples of our awareness raising work:

Interactive workshops and presentations about citizenship, local decision making, getting heard, the role of a councillor
Primary age children to pensioners have enjoyed them, as they are tailored to suit the audience.  

Public events
You may spot members of our team at public events (e.g. fun days) with eye-catching information stands. You may have taken part in one of their lively activities, or even seen one of them dressed up as a pirate, town crier, football player, spaceman or racing driver!
If you would like to add another dimension to your event, please give us plenty of notice and we will try to get someone from our team to come along.

Support for schools and colleges - Student Council Elections  
This activity promotes local democracy in schools through supporting and promoting the election of school councils.  It involves delivering a specially developed assembly to promote and explain the importance of having a school council and the voting process.

We have created a character called 'Count de Voters' who visits primary schools dressed in a bright period costume to deliver the assembly. The assembly is a fun, interactive experience, which lives long in the children's memories.  

We are also working with secondary schools to develop a special assembly to launch their school council elections and provide resources to be used for follow up discussions in the classroom.

We provide schools with template paperwork to run the election as well as the actual election equipment. The children are taught to vote as adults would in a polling station. We also help to run the elections.

If you would like support with your school council elections, please get in touch.

Democracy workshops - these are tailored to your requirements, so contact us to discuss this in more detail.

School Visits by Local Councillors
Schools have the opportunity to invite their local councillors in for a ‘local democracy’ visit. This could be for a class, an assembly, or a school council meeting. The visits are used to raise awareness about the role of Councillors and the work of the local council at a local level. If this would be of interest to your school please contact us. 

Town Hall open days, group visits and tours
Thousands of people of all ages have taken the opportunity to meet the Mayor and find out about some of the rich heritage and history of the Borough. They have discovered that people from this area have been at the forefront of many history making events. The achievements of these 'past' citizens have benefited the lives of millions of people across the United Kingdom and the rest of the world.

So why not contact us to arrange a tour, or put your name down for the next 'open day'. Find out for yourself why this is an area to be proud of, and about the many opportunities for you to get involved in creating the achievements that we will be telling future visitors about.

Our aim is to make all of our activities both informative and thought provoking. We want to stir up (stimulate) a hunger to know more and an enthusiasm to pass on what has been learned.

The activities are delivered with a touch of humour using a variety of interesting methods, illustrations and props. If you would like more information or have any questions, please contact Stuart Levin on 526185 or send him an e-mail to stuart.levin@stockton.gov.uk

Don't forget...
All Council meetings are open to the public. If you want to find out about meetings related to a particular service or area of the borough, details of all future meetings are available by going to www.stockton.gov.uk/yourcouncil/egenda/

You can find out about future decisions that the Council will be considering by looking at the Council's 'Forward Plan', which lists meetings up to four months ahead.

You can also view recent and past decisions taken by the Council.

You can find out information about your local councillors and committees.

"Meet your Councillor"
Through the year, your local councillors are working on your behalf to make the borough the best possible place to live, work, study or visit. They also hold regular advice sessions called Ward surgeries where local residents can meet them to discuss issues that concern them.  Use this Find out how to contact your local councillor and when they are holding a ward surgery.

Information about parish and town councils can be found here.