Why become a Crudwell Parish Councillor?
If you’ve never been to a Crudwell Parish Council meeting before, you may be forgiven for thinking that the Parish Councillors are a group of (probably older) people who meet now and then in Crudwell Village Hall. Parishioners in our community need support and guidance at times and it is sometimes the Parish Council that they turn to for help. By becoming a Parish Councillor you become someone in your community who parishioners will look to for help, guidance and support. You would become a community leader with the opportunity to influence decisions for the benefit of the people in our parish. Seeing 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.
How much time does it take up?
Crudwell Parish Council meets once a month, to which members of the public are also invited. Meetings may last up to two hours depending on the agenda set for the meeting to discuss. In addition to the regular meetings, councillors may be required to attend other meetings representing the Parish Council, for example, acting as a representative on an outside body such as the flood working group, community activities or helping develop a new project for the community. Such meetings won’t happen every week, so it’s not going to take over your life.
How long does a Parish Councillor serve for?
Once elected, Parish Councillors sit on the Council for a maximum of four years. If they then want to stay in the post they can stand for re-election.
Am I eligible to be a Parish Councillor?
Most people are qualified to stand for their local Council but there are a few rules.
To be eligible to stand for an election, you must be:
- A British citizen, or a citizen of the Commonwealth, or the European Union.
- 18 years of age or older on the day you become nominated for election
- Be an elector of the parish; or have in the past 12 months occupied (as owner or tenant) of land or other premises in the parish;
- Work in the parish (as your principal or only place of work)
- You cannot stand for election if you:
- Are the subject of a bankruptcy restriction order or interim order
- Have within five years before the day of the election, been convicted in the United Kingdom of any offence and have had a prison sentence (whether suspended or not) for a period of over three months without the option of a fine
- Work for the Council you want to become a Councillor for.
Crudwell Parish Council has an allocation of 9 Councillors, at present there are 7 serving Councillors (two vacancies). Crudwell Parish Council meets monthly, on the third Tuesday of the month at Crudwell Village Hall at 7 pm although during the Covid 19 pandemic the parish council was meeting online via Zoom.
You don’t have to be connected to any political party to be a member of Crudwell Parish Council.
If you think this would be for you, please apply to the Crudwell Parish Clerk for further information: parish.clerk@crudwell-pc.gov.uk
For further information on becoming a Parish Councillor, please go to http://www.nalc.gov.uk