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Parish Council Code of Conduct
All Parish Councils in the UK have to follow guidelines produced by the Government.
The Standards Committee has recently reviewed the documents; our Parish Council will review and update ours shortly and will make it available to view on-line.
Vacancies
For various reasons, vacancies for councillors arise from time to time. We have 15 potential seats as well as positions on committees and working groups for interested parties.
Time
It is possible to spend a lot of time on council work. There's a minimum of 4 hours a month, with the preparation and attendance at the monthly meetings. However, as well as this, all Councillors are encouraged to join at least one of the sub-committees. How many and which ones you join are up to you. As with most things, the more time you put in, the more you, and your community, will get out.
Cost
Being a Councillor should cost you very little. There are usually subsistence and travel allowances if your duties take you out of your local Council's area. These allowances will be determined by the Council, and will be within a maximum laid down by the Government.
Eligibility
You can put yourself forward to be a Parish Councillor if you are:
1. A British subject or Irish citizen,
2. At least 18 years of age, and
3. Either in the list of electors for that Parish or Town or has during the whole of the preceding twelve months:
(i) occupied land as owner or tenant in it, or
(ii) had a principal place of work there, or
(iii) resided in or within three miles of it
Next steps
If you are interested in becoming a Councillor, you should join us for some of our monthly meetings to get a better idea of our work. You could also contact one of the current Councillors to get more information. Once you have made up your mind, you will need to write a letter or email to Angie Hurren, our clerk, explaining you want to become a councillor and why. Angie will raise the request at the next Parish Council meeting, and the Council will vote on your acceptance. As long as you fulfil the criteria above and there are vacancies on the council, there should not be any problems.
Tags: Vacancies, Parish, Code of Conduct