STRETTON UNDER FOSSE PARISH COUNCIL

VACANCY FOR PARISH COUNCILLOR

To appoint via by-election (see section below) at the next Parish Council meeting taking place on Tuesday, 25th June 2019. Further Information please contact Chairman Nigel Jennett on 079 79 712 800

What is a councillor?

Councillors are elected to represent an individual geographical 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:

1. Decision making – Through meetings held six weekly 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 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 community, parish and town councillor is an enjoyable way of contributing to your community, and helping to make it a better place to live and work.

How to become a councillor

Parish councillors are elected by the public and serve four-year terms. Following elections, councils appoint a chair, or town mayor in town councils. Parish Councillors are strictly unpaid and the work is undertaken on a volunteer basis.

The Election Procedure

Ordinary elections of local councillors take place on the first Thursday in May every four years, 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.

Mid-term elections – By elections

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.

The standard election Timetable

• Publication of notice of election: Not later than the 25th day before the day of election.
• Delivery of Nomination papers: Not later than the 19th day before the day of election.
• Publication of list of candidates: Not later than the 17th day before the day of election.
• Delivery of notices of withdrawals of candidature: Not later than the 16th day before the day of election.
• Notice of Poll: Not later than the sixth day before the day of election.
• Polling: Between 07:00 and 22:00 on the day of election.
• In calculating the timetable the 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. 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, community or town or the ward if it is divided into wards): they must sign it.

What Next?

The returning officer appointed by a 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 detailed information. Also for more information about what life is like as councillor contact your local County Association of Local Councils or alternatively your local community, parish or town council.