BECOME A PARISH COUNCILLOR
(Updated March 2025)
Nomination arrangements - Parish Council Elections (1 May 2025)
The next full parish elections will be held on 1 May 2025 and are ran by the Returnng Officer of Northumberland County Council.
The Notice of Election will be published on Thursday 20 March which will open up the election period and from the following day, 21 March to Wednesday 2 April, the Returning Officer can accept nomination forms.
Could you be a parish councillor?
If you are 18 or over, live in or near a parished area and care about your community, the answer is almost certainly yes!
All parish councils would benefit from having a greater range of people putting their names forward, and from voters having a real choice, particularly in rural England.
What is a Parish Councillor?
Parish and town councillors are elected to represent the people living in their local area at the closest level to the community. When decisions are being made they are there to put your views across.
What do Councillors do?
Councillors have three main components to their work:
Decision Making
Through meetings and attending committees with other elected members, councillors decide which activities to support, where money should be spent, what services should be delivered and what policies should be implemented. As well as attending meetings, councillors should be prepared to get involved in the meetings.
Monitoring
Councillors make sure that their decisions lead to efficient and effective services by keeping an eye on how well things are working.
Getting Involved Locally
As local representatives, councillors have responsibilities towards their constituents and local organisations. These responsibilities and duties often depend on what the councillor wants to achieve and how much time is available.
Visiting your council is the best way to find out what happens there. Give the council a call and find out when its next public meeting happens. By law, ordinary people are allowed to be present at most council business.
How Much Time Does it Take Up?
Quite often councillors say that their duties occupy them for about three hours a week. Obviously there are some councillors who spend more time than this - and some less, but in the main, being a parish councillor is an enjoyable way of contributing to your community, and helping to make it a better place to live and work.
Am I Qualified?
You have to be:
A British citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland, a qualifying EU ctizen, or an EU citizen with retained rights, who does not require leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom or has indefinite leave to remain. You must also be 18 years old or older on the date of nomination.
And additionally AT LEAST ONE of the following on the date of nomination:
- Registered as a local government elector for the parish.
- Has during the whole of the preceding 12 months occupied as owner or tenant land or other premises in the parish.
- Principal or only place of work during the preceding 12 months has been in the parish.
- During the whole of the proceding 12 months resided in the parish or within 4.8 kilometres of it.
You must not be disqualified for being elected by reason of any disqualification set out in, or decision made under, sections 80 or 81A of the Local Government Act 1972 or section 34 of the Localism Act 2011, or section 30 of the Elections Act 2022).
Councillors can be automatically disqualified if they do not attend meetings for six consecutive months. To avoid this councillors need to submit reasons for their non attendance and their council has to accept and minute the reasons for non-attendance. If their reasons are not accepted they face automatic disqualification.
How to Become a Councillor
Parish councillors are elected by the public and serve a four year term.
Allowances tend not to be very large and are paid at the discretion of the individual councils. Most parish councils, including Belsay Parish Council, choose to maintain a strictly unpaid status making it a purely voluntary position.
The Election Procedure
Ordinary elections for local councillors take place on the first Thursday in May every four years along with the County Council election cycle. The next full parish elections will be 1 May 2025.
The Northumberland County Council Returning Officer is the person responsible for the conduct and arrangment for parish council elections. If you are considering becoming a candidate for election contact the Elections Office at Northumberland County Council for more detailed information - elections@northumberland.gov.uk
If you are interested in becoming a councillor it is advisable to attend a few parish council meetings to make sure the role of a councillor is what you expect and of interest to you.
Nomination Process
To become nominated as a candidate you need to hand deliver a completed nomination paper to the Returning Officer at Northumberland County Council. Forms of nomination can be obtained from the Elections Office at Northumberland County Council.
Your nomination paper must include the details of a proposer and seconder who live in the parish and who must sign and have their name printed along with their elector numbers from the current register of electors.
What Next?
The Northumberland County Council Returning Officer is the person responsible for the conduct and arrangement for parish council elections. If you are considering becoming a candidate for election it could be wise to contact the Returning Officer to obtain more detailed information.
By-Elections
Occasionally a seat becomes vacant mid-term due to reasons such as resignation or death, or if there are not enough candidates to fill all council seats at election time. If so the council can hold a by-election. By election notices must be prepared by the council and advertised for 14 days (not including Saturday, Sunday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Good Friday, a Bank Holiday and a day appointed for public thanksgiving or mourning) in conspicuous places within the parish.
If within 14 days after public notice has been given, at least ten electors give written notice to the proper officer of the principal authority of a request for an election to fill the vacancy, then a by-election must be held except where the vacancy occurs within six months before the date when the councillor in question would have regularly retired (e.g. four days after the next ordinary election).
If no by-election is called by electors of the parish area then the council may then co-opt members to the council. The council may co-opt whom it pleases to fill a vacancy, provided the person is qualified to be a councillor. The person co-opted must receive a majority of the votes of those councillors present and voting at the meeting where the co-option takes place.
