New poll shows public interest and ignorance about being a councillor 

One in four Londoners are interested in becoming a local councillor - despite widespread ignorance about what their councils actually do, according to a survey commissioned by London Councils.

The poll, carried out by Ipsos MORI, revealed that almost half the people surveyed incorrectly believe that their local council runs the police and hospitals. Only two in five people know which political party runs their own local council, and just 6 per cent of Londoners know the name of their council's leader.

But despite this, one in four said they would be interested in standing for election as a local councillor.

The results also showed that many people were confused about the role of a councillor. While 71 per cent of people know that councillors receive some payment for their council work, 52 per cent wrongly believe they must represent a political party and 32 per cent think they must hold a formal qualification.

The survey's findings will be presented to the annual London Councils Summit on Saturday (12 July). Among the delegates will be people who have expressed a desire to find out more about standing in the 2010 local elections as part of the London Councils Be A Councillor campaign.