Parish Council Election 3 May 2012

A Parish Councillor’s role is to represent and respond to the needs and views of the whole community.

Eligibility and Requirements
 

A candidate for a Local Council is qualified if, when nominated –
· he or she is a British subject or Irish citizen,
· is 18 years of age, and
· is either in the list of electors for Brixworth or
· has during the whole of the preceding twelve months occupied land as owner or tenant in it, or had a principal place of work there, or resided in or within three miles of it.
 

Councillors have a responsibility to: -

· prepare for meetings and to be properly informed about issues to be discussed.
· take part in meetings and make sound judgements based on what is best for the community and then abide by majority decisions.
· vote – to enable the council to make decisions.
· ensure with other councillors that the council is properly managed.
· maintain proper standards of behaviour as an elected representative of the people.
· declare a personal or prejudicial interest.

What do councillors do?

Councillors have three main components to their work.

1. 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.

2. Monitoring - Councillors make sure that their decisions lead to efficient and effective services by keeping an eye on how well things are working.

3. 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:

• Going to meetings of local organisations (i.e. Village Hall, Brixworth Centre)

• Going to meetings of bodies affecting the wider community (i.e. DDC, CPRE)

• Taking up issues on behalf of members of the public.

• Running a surgery for residents to bring up issues.

One of the best ways to find out about what the Parish Council does is to attend one of its meetings. All the Council and Committee meetings are open to members of the public. Details of meetings are available on the Notice Board (near the shops), in the Library and on the Parish Council website.

What’s expected of Brixworth Parish Councillors?
Parish Councillors are expected to attend the Full Council meeting, which is held once a month and to be a member of one or more of the committees, (currently there are four committees Planning, Highways, Recreation and Finance, which meet from three weekly to bi monthly). The Council also sets up ad hoc working groups to work on particular projects (i.e. the regeneration of a play area or Neighbourhood Plan). In addition Councillors may be Council Representatives, attending meetings of local organisations and reporting back to the Council.
 

As a new Councillor you will bring to the Council fresh enthusiasm and new ideas, a care for your community and a willingness to learn. You would be expected to go on training courses and to learn how the Council operates.  Initially, you may have little knowledge of Council work but this will come along with experience and confidence.

For further reading the following guides are available for downloading

Parish Councillor's role
Good Councillors Guide
All About Local Councils