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HILLTOP WARD ELECTION There is a vacancy for a Town Councillor in the Hilltop ward in Blandford Forum and the election will be held on ???. Are you thinking about becoming a councillor? Most people’s impression of what a councillor does is that they just attend council meetings and nothing could be further from the truth. The duties, and pleasure, of being a local councillor are many and varied, however it is the ordinary day to day contact with local people in their own community that is the most important part of being a councillor. A Parish or Town Councillor signs a Declaration of Acceptance of Office and thereby undertakes to observe an ethical Code of Conduct when dealing with matters on behalf of the community. Listening: One of the most important tasks of a Parish or Town Councillor is listening to and understanding the views of people in their community. Many public bodies or organisations acknowledge this is the hardest information for them to capture and they in turn use the skills and local knowledge of the parish or town council for advice to assist and inform their services. Meetings: A councillor agrees to attend all meetings (as is reasonably possible) that he or she is summoned to. In a smaller council this may only require one meeting of full council a month (there are however a few small councils that still only meet once every two months). In medium and larger councils however, along with full council meetings, there are further committee meetings or working groups. Most meetings are held in the evening but some committees and working groups may be during the day. Blandford Forum Town Council’s committees include Planning, Finance & Staffing, Town & General Purposes and Recreation & Amenities. Where committees are used however the council usually consists of a larger number of councillors and therefore each councillor is only expected to serve on one or two committees. Representation: Parish councils also need representation at other local government meetings or on local bodies/organisations and councillors may be asked to serve on certain groups or attend functions on behalf of the parish council. Councillors act as ambassadors for their community keeping everyone aware of local needs and concerns and reporting back on District/Unitary, County and regional changes. Councillors represent the voice of their community as a whole, whilst being aware of and considerate to, specific minority needs. Ceremonial Duties: In some larger councils there will be times when councillors are asked to attend civic functions as part of their duty to the community. This may entail Remembrance Parades, civic dinners or attendance at public functions to name but a few. Extra skills: Through all of these functions councillors will draw on their own skills and experiences and it is the sharing of these skills that makes a strong team. Parish and Town councils provide a focus for the community to identify concerns and projects and endeavour to solve them locally themselves. Councillors working as a team will need to deal with employment issues, budgeting, asset management, staff management, project management or grant funding and probably lots more if they are creative and involved. All councils must be aware and owe a duty to their community to manage staff considerately, whether it is employing one parish clerk or a whole host of office and grounds maintenance staff. Accounts must be kept and whilst the clerk (or Responsible Financial Officer) will be employed to carry out this duty, councillors together as a team are responsible for the financial decisions made and implemented. A clerk is employed to advise and seek advice on behalf of councillors to assist them in their decisions. Councillors are there to consider the information gathered and make a group decision on all matters. No individual councillor is responsible for any single decision. This is democracy at its best. Training and support: Training is available to any council, large or small. Legislation allows for councils to pay for training and ongoing training for councillors is sound business management. The County Secretary for the Association of Local Councils in your area will be able to provide details of professional training programmes designed specifically for councillors, see the useful contacts section in this pack for contact information. Responsibility: All councillors are expected to abide by the Parish Councils (model code of conduct) Order 2007 and this document is available to download free of charge from http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2001/20013576.htm or is priced at £6 from The Stationery Office (formerly HMSO) by quoting ISBN 011 0387813. The responsibilities detailed in the code of conduct are designed to protect councillors as well as the people they serve and give clear guidance so that councillors may undertake their duties with confidence. Even those who have stood as councillors before may forget what the process was like in the past. Whilst relatively easy it is strict and if not followed exactly, will result in disappointment and rejection for the wrong reasons! The rules are there to ensure that only those who are eligible to stand for election in your community are considered and that those put forward have agreed to stand for election. Councillors are elected by the public and serve four year terms in office; these were unpaid positions until 2004 when allowance schemes were introduced to encourage more people to stand for election. Allowances, which tend not to be very large, are at the discretion of the individual councils and most still choose to maintain an unpaid status. If you wish to stand as a councillor you must satisfy these requirements: · Be over 18 years of age at the date of your nomination · On the Electoral Register for the council area for which you wish to stand, or have worked in the area for the preceding 12 months · A citizen of the European Union and/or a Commonwealth citizen · A local government elector of the parish; or a person who during the whole of the twelve months before nomination as a candidate occupied land or other premises as owner or tenant in the parish. Or has, during the same period, resided in that area or within three miles thereof, or has during the same period, had a principal or only place of work in that area You cannot stand for election if you: · Are bankrupt and an Order or Interim Restriction Order has been imposed. · Have, within five years before the day of the election, been convicted in the United Kingdom of any offence and have had a sentence of imprisonment (whether suspended or not) for a period of over three months without the option of a fine · Work for the council where you are intending to stand for election (but you can work for other local authorities, including the principal authorities that represent the same area). The Election Procedure: Ordinary elections of local councillors take place on the first Thursday in May every four years. Reorganisation of local government may cause alteration of the Election Day and election year in some cases. A few terms that you will encounter explained: · Returning Officer – person empowered to run an election. · Standing – putting your name forward for election. · Electoral Register – names and addresses, together with election identification numbers of all people within a community who are registered to vote. · Election Timetable – dates when specific forms must be publicised or submitted. See the election timetable here. · Warded – Areas are split up into what is called ‘wards’ so that councillors are elected by a specific smaller number of people and will be aware of their local concerns rather than having to represent all people within a whole parish. · Expenses – If you do produce your own leaflets/pamphlets you need to declare how much you have spent on this. 1. Publication of the Notice of Election The Chief Executive of the District/Unitary Council is the Returning Officer and therefore has the power to call an election. Election staff in the District/Unitary Council Elections Office have all the papers you will need and will be able to give advice and may check nomination forms. See the Notice of Election here. 2. Getting the nomination forms You will need to contact North Dorset District Council’s democratic services on 01258 454111 to ask for the appropriate forms although Blandford Forum Town Council will also be sent a number of forms which will be available in the Town Clerk’s Office. Anyone who is eligible to stand can request these forms. Alternatively, you can download the forms here and print them from home: Nomination Forms (please note that the age is from 18 NOT 21). 3. Completing the nomination forms You will need to fill in all your personal details and those of the people nominating you. You and those nominating will be asked to fill in your Electoral Register number. This is the district code on the front of the Electoral Register i.e. A Village might be ‘SX’ then this is followed by the number that appears next to your name, or next to the name of the person nominating you. The entry in this box will therefore read something like ‘SX 413’. You must get your form completed and signed by those nominating you and it will help to copy the numbers of those nominating you when you obtain your own Electoral Register number. 4. Sending the nomination forms back. It is imperative that you submit your forms in accordance with the Timetable of Proceedings. Failure to do so will render your application null and void! Checklist:
Information Packs for prospective councillors can be requested from the Town Clerk's Office. If you do not wish to become a Councillor, and you live within the Old Town ward, don't forget to exercise your right to vote on Thursday 30 July 2009!
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