Would-be councillors in north Norfolk are being invited to a speed-dating style session to meet existing members and find out what it involves.

All 48 seats on the district council will be contested in May next year, and the authority is keen to show interested potential candidates the reality of serving a community.

The 'candi-dating' evening session on October 20 gives people a chance to quiz current councillors about the highs, lows, satisfactions and challenges of being an elected representative.

The council said the forum would reveal how to become a candidate, what being a district councillor actually involved, how easy it was to represent the people in a ward while also having a full-time job or caring for a family.

There would also be a chance to hear about the kind of business new members could expect to be involved in and how decisions were made.

The event is free, and does not involve any obligation or commitment to stand for election. It is the work of a cross-party group of councillors, and aims to de-mystify the role of an elected member, making it more accessible to as wide a range of people as possible.

Leaflets about the candi-dating evening, with details of who can stand for election and what being a councillor involves, along with case studies of four serving councillors, are being distributed through libraries and other information points across North Norfolk.

For information about becoming a candidate in North Norfolk District Council elections, and explanations of different aspects of how the Council works, visit www.northnorfolk.org/council.asp and click 'Becoming a Councillor'.

The event is one of a number of Norfolk-wide Vocal Local activities this year designed to help Norfolk people see the many ways they can influence decisions made by local authorities and agencies including school governors, tenants' associations or by responding to a council consultation or organising a petition.

The evening will be held between 6.30pm and 8pm at the council's offices on Holt Road, Cromer. Anyone wanting to attend should call Mary Howard on 01263 516047, or email mary.howard@north-norfolk.gov.uk. Also see www.vocallocal.co.uk