Your Council
Please click on the links below to expand the text on how your Parish Council works ...
Please click on the links below to expand the text on how your Parish Council works ...
Councillors are elected to represent an individual geographic unit on the Council, known as a ward or - mainly in smaller parishes - the entire parish or town 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 - 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.
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, and may include:-
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.
Some of this information has been taken from the National Association of Local Councils' website
What Services can a Parish Council Provide?
A Parish Council might provide and/or maintain some or all of the following services:-
A Parish Council can also work with the Borough Council and the County Council to provide other services:-
Some of this information has been taken from the National Association of Local Councils' website
Most people can; however there are a few rules:-
You have to be:-
In the case of a sitting member of a parish or community 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:-
Election Procedure
Ordinary elections of local councillors take place on the first Thursday in May every four years. For most local councils, election years are 2003, 2007, etc, but where the principal authority (county, district and unitary authority) councillor is elected in some other year that is also the year of the local council election. Reorganisation of local government may cause alteration of the Election Day and election year in some cases.
Nomination Process
A prospective candidate must deliver or send by post to the Returning Office a valid nomination paper. This form is obtained from the Officer. The candidate's surname, forename, 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 (ie the parish, community or town or the ward if it is divided into wards); they must sign it.
What Next?
The Returning Officer appointed by principal authority (district, borough, county or unitary authority) is the person responsible for the conduct and arrangement for community, parish and town council elections. If you are considering becoming a candidate for election it could be wise to contact the Returning Officer to obtain any more details information. Also for more information about what life is like as a councillor contact your local County Association of Local Councils or alternatively your local community, parish or town council.
Co-Option
If a seat becomes vacant mid-term (or if there are not enough candidates to fill all council seats at election time) the council will hold a by-election.
In certain circumstances, the council may then co-opt members to the council.
Some of this information has been taken from the National Association of Local Councils' website
SELFLESSNESS
Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest. They should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family or their friends.
INTEGRITY
Holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might seek to influence them in the performance of their official duties.
OBJECTIVITY
In carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public office should make choices on merit.
ACCOUNTABILITY
Holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions to the public and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office.
OPENNESS
Holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions that they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the wider public interest clearly demands.
HONESTY
Holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest.
LEADERSHIP
Holders of public office should promote and support these principles by leadership and example.