A first terminal device for use in a wireless telecommunications system includes one or more base stations each forming a respective network node of the wireless telecommunications system and a plurality of terminal devices, wherein each of the terminal devices is operable to be established as a relay node via which each of the other terminal devices is operable to communicate with at least one of the base stations. The first terminal device includes a controller operable to determine a value of an operational characteristic associated with the first terminal device, and a transceiver unit operable to receive, from each of the other terminal devices, signalling indicative of a value of the operational characteristic associated with that terminal device.