Do you want to influence the way our parish develops and changes in the future?
Littlebury Parish Council currently has the opportunity to co-opt three new parish councillors. 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. Having the power to influence decisions for the benefit of the people you serve and to see your community change for the better as a result of decisions you have helped make, is something that can give you a sense of achievement and pride.
What is a Parish Council?
There is a common misunderstanding that parish councils are something to do with church administration, all a bit redolent of “The Vicar of Dibley” – they are not. Parish councils play a vital part in representing the interests of local people and improving the quality of life and the local environment. As the democratic bodies with the closest direct links to communities, parish councils have a vested interest in improving the local quality of life. Funded by a precept, we take responsibility for a whole range of local matters and community needs such as, allotments, public open spaces and play areas. We can also influence and shape the long-term development of the Parish by commenting on local planning applications, funding grants to local organisations such as youth clubs and charities and by bringing about improvements through local projects.
Who can stand as a Parish Councillor?
You do not have to be a member of any political party to become a Parish Councillor. Indeed, good parish councils are concerned with local community matters and not politics. Parish Councillors cannot make decisions on behalf of the Council, but they can actively lead and engage with local projects. Councillors from different backgrounds better represent the whole community and possess different enthusiasms, skills, attitudes and interests. Some Councillors work with ideas while others are very practical; some like accounts while others prefer reports. The Parish Council needs a wide range of skills to work as a team. The role is a voluntary and unpaid; you do not have to be highly educated or have a trade or profession.
What would being a Parish Councillor involve?
The best way to find out what it’s like to be a Parish Councillor is to talk to one of our current Councillors or to Tracy Coston, our Parish Clerk. Littlebury Parish Council meets at 8 pm on the third Wednesday of each month; come along to see what goes on. We are currently working with the community in Littlebury Green on plans to regenerate The Bumpy and investigating possible sites for allotments in the parish. In the longer term we are thinking about environmental and sustainability issues – for example whether there will be a need for electric car charging points to be situated in the village.
If you choose not to stand as councillor you can still have your say in community matters – there is always the chance for members of the public to raise issues at the start of every meeting – or perhaps you could urge someone else to join us and share their skills and enthusiasm instead?
To stand for election on a parish council, you must:
• be a UK or Commonwealth citizen; or
• be a citizen of the Republic of Ireland; or
• be a citizen of another Member state of the European Union; and
• be at least 18 years old.
• To be eligible to stand for an election for a particular parish, you must:
• be an elector of the parish; or
• in the past 12 months have occupied (as owner or tenant) land or other premises in the parish; or
• work in the parish (as your principal or only place of work); or
• live within three miles of the parish boundary.
For more information, please contact Tracy Coston on 01223 894462 or clerk@littleburyparishcouncil.gov.uk