ELECTIONS to all the community councils in Helensburgh and Lomond take place this spring – and nominations opened this week.

Every member of the eight community councils in the area requires to stand down ahead of the election in April – and while many serving community councillors are expected to stand again, the call is going out to find new people willing to serve their communities and help develop them for the future.

The two-week nomination period for all of Argyll and Bute’s 56 community councils opened on Tuesday, and nominations can be submitted between now and Thursday, March 22.

Community councils are the first or the “grass roots” tier of statutory representation in Scotland. They provide a link between local authorities and communities, and help ensure that public authorities are aware of the opinions and needs of the communities they represent.

While their primary statutory purpose is to represent the views of their community to the local authority and other public bodies, most community councils also involve themselves in a wide range of other activities which might include fundraising for local projects, running community and educational events, or organising environmental projects.

Helensburgh Community Council, for example, organised the town’s first food and drink festival and a visiting exhibition by the Glasgow School of Art last summer, while in Rhu and Shandon members of the community council there organise regular beach cleans throughout the year.

To become a community councillor you must be a resident within the community council area you would like to join, and be on the local government electoral register.

You can find out more about becoming a community councillor at argyll-bute.gov.uk/council-and-government/community-councils