BECOME A PARISH COUNCILLOR
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.
Elections are held every four years, with most up for election again in May 2017. Contact your principal council (Northumberland County Council) for further information. If you are a member of a political party your party should also be able to provide help and advice.
Remember that the rules governing eligibility to stand are not as strict for parishes as for principal councils. Under what is still commonly referred to as the “three mile rule”, anyone living within 4.8 km of the parish boundary is eligible to stand (if 18 or over), in addition to those living or working within the parish.
If a vacancy arises on a parish council within six months of its regular set of elections, a by-election cannot be held but the parish has the power to co-opt a replacement member. This option is not available to other tiers of local authority.
Become a Councillor
Parish and town councillors 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 is a Councillor?
Councillors are elected to represent the entire parish council area. They are generally elected by the public every four years.
What do Councillors do?
Councillors have three main components to their work: Decision making; Monitoring; Getting involved locally.
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.
This may include:
• going to meetings of local organisations such as tenants' associations
• going to meetings of bodies affecting the wider community
• taking up issues on behalf of members of the public
• running a surgery for residents to bring up issues
• meeting with individual residents in their own homes
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?
Yes - most people are. However there are a few rules.
You have to be:
• a British subject, or a citizen of the Commonwealth or the European Union; and on the “relevant date” (i.e. the day on which you are nominated or if there is a poll the day of the election) 18 years of age or over;
•and additionally: on the “relevant day” a local government elector for the council area for which you want to stand; or
• have during the whole of the 12 months preceding that day occupied as owner or tenant any land or other premises in the council area; or
• have during that same period had your principal or only place of work in the council area; or
• during that 12 month period resided in the council area
In the case of a sitting member of a parish council you can also satisfy the criteria to be elected if you have lived in the council area or within 3 miles of it for the whole of the 12 months preceding the “relevant day”.
You cannot stand for election if you:
• are subject of a bankruptcy restriction order or interim order
• have, within five years before the day of the election, been convicted in the United Kingdom of any offence and have had a sentence of imprisonment (whether suspended or not) for a period of over three months without the option of a fine
• you work for the council you want to become a councillor for (but you can work for other local authorities, including the principal authorities that represent the same area)
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 four-year terms. Following elections, councils appoint a chair.
Parish councillors were unpaid positions until 2004 when allowance schemes were introduced to encourage more people to stand. 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 of local councillors take place on the first Thursday in May every four years. The next election for parish councillors will be the 2 May 2013 and will be co-terminus with the unitary authority (County Councillor) election cycle.
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. You will then need to complete a nomination form and be aware of the election process for May 2013.
The 2013 election timetable is as follows:
Publication of notice of election: Tuesday 26 March 2013
Receipt of nominations: Noon on Friday 5 April 2013
Publication of Statements of Persons Nominated: Noon Tuesday 9 April 2013
Withdrawal of Candidate: Noon Wednesday 10 April 2013
Appointment of election agents: Noon Wednesday 10 April 2013
Publication of Notice of Election Agents: Wednesday 10 April 2013
Last date for registration: Wednesday 17 April 2013
Receipt of postal vote applications: 5:00pm Wednesday 17 April 2013
PUBLISH NOTICE OF POLL; Wednesday 24 April 2013
Receipt of Proxy Vote Applications: 5:00pm Wednesday 24 April 2013
Appointment of Poll and Count Agents: Thursday 25 April 2013
First day to issue replacement lost postal ballot papers: Friday 26 April 2013
Lost or spoilt ballot papers: 12:00am to 5:00pm Thursday 2 May 2013
Receipt of Emergency Proxy Vote Applications: 5:00pm Thursday 2 May 2013
Last day to issue replacement spoilt or lost postal ballot papers: 5:00pm Thursday 2 May 2013
Day of Poll: 7:00am to 10:00pm Thursday 2 May 2013
Declaration of candidates expenses: Thursday 30 May 2013
In calculating the timetable Bank holidays and weekends are disregarded.
Nomination Process
A prospective candidate must deliver or send by post to the Returning Officer a valid nomination paper. This form is obtained from the Officer employed by Northumberland County Council. The candidate's surname, forenames, residence and description (if required) must be entered and his or her number and prefix letter from the current register of electors. The Returning Officer has a copy of this register, and the clerk of the local council normally has one.
The nomination paper must also contain similar particulars of a proposer and a seconder. They must be electors for the area for which the candidate seeks election (i.e. the parish): they must sign it.
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.
Also for more information about what life is like as councillor contact the Parish Clerk whose contact details can be found on this website.
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 (see "Am I Qualified" above). 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.
