Ernie Clark. Hilperton Division, Wiltshire Council.

Many councillors continue to get huge 'job satisfaction'.

Polling company ComRes has interviewed more than 500 councillors across England and Wales and more than two-thirds are expecting their council's financial situation to worsen in the coming year.

Most feel that they don't have the power or the resources to deliver the services local people expect, with almost all (96%) wanting more powers delegated to local government. However, despite the difficult economic situation and excessive central government control, many councillors continue to get huge job satisfaction from helping local people and solving problems.

The average councillor spends around 59 hours a month on their role. About 19 of these are spent in council meetings even though this is the second most disliked aspect of the job (after slow decision-making and bureaucracy). What councillors enjoy most is helping people, solving problems, meeting residents and making a difference.

These details have been taken from an article in firstnews which is the weekly publication from the Local Government Association.