Are you interested in making more positive improvements in Tollerton? Why not become a parish councillor? It doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment and you can bring real improvements to the village.
The Parish Council is looking for a local person to help take forward our ambitious plans for Tollerton, such as recently installing new play equipment on the Open Space, saving the village pub from closing to become a wonderful community pub, and now we are bringing forward a new neighbourhood plan to provide a residents view in the future housing and planning decisions.
Can you help? The voluntary vacancy is open to anyone over 18 living or working in Tollerton and you don’t have to be connected to a political party. You will need to attend evening Council meetings held once a month.
More information on eligibility can be found below. To apply please complete/return the application form by the closing date: 20th December 2020.
Feel free to contact any of our councillors for an informal chat about what’s it’s like to be a councillor.
Am I eligible to be a Parish Councillor?
When no election has been requested the parish council may co-opt a volunteer to the vacancy for a parish councillor. To stand for co-option to the 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;
- be a least 18 years old.
To be eligible you must also: - be an elector of the parish, or;
- for the whole of the previous 12 months have occupied (as owner or tenant) land or other premises in the parish, or;
- during the previous 12 months have worked in the parish (as your principal or only place of work), or;
- for the whole of the previous 12 months lived in the parish or within three miles of the parish
boundary.
You don’t have to be connected to a political party. People of any political or religious persuasion are eligible to become a councillor. If you do become a parish councillor you will have to sign up to the Code of Conduct. The Council usually meets once a month for the council meeting, to which members of the public are also invited. Meetings may last around two hours, depending on the agenda set for the meeting to discuss. In addition to the regular meetings, councillors may be asked to attend other meetings representing the council, for example attending working groups, acting as a representative on a community group or helping develop a new project for the community. Such meetings won’t happen every day and might typically occur once every other month.