PARISH COUNCIL ELECTIONS ARE HELD EVERY 4 YEARS 2012 IS OUR NEXT ELECTION YEAR
THERE WERE INSUFFICIENT CANDIDATES FOR THE 9 SEATS IN 2008; ONLY 4 PARISH COUNCILLORS WERE DECLARED ELECTED TO SERVE UNTIL 2012. THEY ARE LISTED ON CLLRS' PAGE.
THE PARISH COUNCIL HAS NOW FOUND PERSONS WILLING TO SERVE AS COUNCILLORS AND HAS CO-OPTED THEM ONTO THE PARISH COUNCIL TO HELP (LISTED ON CLLRS' PAGE).
ELECTIONS - WHY BOTHER?
THE FUTURE OF KING'S STANLEY PARISH COUNCIL IS DECIDED BY YOU
HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT OF BECOMING A PARISH COUNCILLOR?
Parish Clerks are asked by SDC to display notices on their Parish Notice boards.
Information is given in good faith but I can accept no liability for omissions or inaccuracies. Please verify the information for yourselves.
The full complement of Kings Stanley Parish Councillors is 9. If you want your Parish to be well represented at the grass roots please think about serving yourself. If not, is there someone you could nominate who would like to help improve their community?
Parish Councillors are elected from amongst the community. Neither the Parish Council as a body nor its Clerk can take part in selecting Councillors. The only exception to this is if a Councillor resigns during his/her term of office. Though such a vacancy (called a casual vacancy) must first be advertised to the community to allow people their right to elect a replacement democratically. If this does not happen then the Parish Council must co-opt someone, if it can, to fill the vacancy; elected Members make this decision. Parish Councils can co-opt someone from the community even if there is no vacancy if he/she has expertise in a field that is of use & benefit to the council and local residents. Such a person would probably work with a council committee or working party to help them with a particular issue.
WHAT DO PARISH COUNCILLORS DO? They represent the views of parishioners, work in the public interest and lead the community. They do so by attending meetings which deal with Parish Council business and they make decisions as to how your money is spent. They also monitor the Parish Council expenditure and finances. Parish Councillors do as much or as little as they are able. Often it’s not how much you do but your knowledge of your community that is so important. Working together with the Clerk, the Councillors can achieve more than you think – and often at little financial cost to the community.
The Term of Office of an elected Parish Councillor is 4 years. If someone has been elected mid-term their period of office ends when the 4 year term ends. Parish Councillors together form the Parish Council; it employs a Clerk and any may also employ other Officers or workers to carry out tasks required to fulfil any duties imposed or required of it. At King’s Stanley the only employee is the Clerk who works part time from home, although the bus shelter cleaners are technically employees.
You do not need to be especially skilled to become a Parish Councillor, just interested in your community and keen to improve life there. Training is available which is meant to be enjoyable and beneficial and will only cost you your time and enthusiasm. You will meet like-minded people at such sessions and should find them informative and useful, not just in terms of what you learn from tutors but also by networking with fellow councillors to share experiences, problems and possible solutions.
TO LEGALLY QUALIFY AS A CANDIDATE FOR ELECTION on the day of nomination you must be 21 or over and either a UK, Commonwealth, Irish Republic or EU citizen. You must also be registered as a local government elector of your parish or have lived either in the parish or within 4.8K (3 miles) of it during the whole of the previous 12 months
OR
Your principal or only place of work is in the area of the parish for twelve months
OR
You have occupied land or other premises in the parish, as an owner or tenant, during the whole 12 months preceding the day on which you are nominated.
YOU CANNOT BE A COUNCILLOR IF YOU WORK FOR AND ARE PAID BY THE PARISH COUNCIL or if you are bankrupt or if you have been sentenced to a term of imprisonment (suspended or not) of not less than three months without the option of a fine within five years prior to the election
OR
You have been disqualified by any act relating to corrupt or illegal practices.
Rewards: There are no financial rewards save that of personal satisfaction! (Although you can be reimbursed for any costs incurred through attending events outside of the parish on its behalf.
Our Parish Council meets once a month on a Wednesday, usually the third one.
King's Stanley Parish Council works for the community in a strictly non party political manner and no party politics are involved at Parish Council Meetings.
HOW TO BECOME A PARISH COUNCILLOR:
NOMINATION PACKS AVAILABLE FROM SDC (+ A FEW ONLY AT KSPC at election time)
Stroud District Council runs elections so take your advice directly from the Electoral Registration Officer or staff in the Elections Office. The staff are very happy to advise you over the telephone or you may refer to their excellent website.
The following information may be helpful but please do not let it put you off:
Every candidate must be nominated on a separate Nomination paper in the prescribed form. The nomination paper must give the candidate’s surname & forenames in full & also their home address. The nomination paper may contain a description not exceeding 6 words. If this description refers to a political party then it must be accompanied by a certificate signed by or on behalf of the party's registered nominating officer. It can either be left blank or you may wish to enter your job or profession. Whatever you put there will be published on notices!
All candidates must be proposed & seconded. The signatures & the electoral numbers of the proposer & the seconder must be obtained & shown correctly on the nomination paper against the person's name. Candidates are entitled to obtain a copy of the electoral register for their Parish from SDC. The proposer & seconder must be local government electors of the parish, or if the parish is divided into wards, the parish ward. The nomination paper must be delivered to the place indicated in the Notice of Election before the deadline.
Elections to Parish Councils, and Parish Meetings in Gloucestershire are held every fourth year. At such an election all of the Councillors on a given council have to stand for re-election.
Newly elected Councillors must sign up to the "Code of Conduct"* & make a "Declaration of Acceptance of Office" for the parish council within twenty eight days of their election. Until this is done you will not be able to sit in a full council meeting or take part in any other meetings. Failure to sign the "Code of Conduct" before the deadline automatically cancels a Member’s election and he/she ceases to be a Councillor. * The Code of Conduct is referred to separately on this website from the homepage.
Nomination papers must be obtained from Stroud District Council’s Electoral Registration Officer (although the Parish Clerk may have a few copies) They include instructions for completing it correctly and advises you on what else you might need to do. Forms must then be handed in to the Electoral Registration Officer before the deadline date and time which you should check when collecting the form. If you fail to meet the deadline your nomination will be invalid. It is the candidate's own responsibility to ensure that his/her papers are delivered before the deadline.
Candidate’s Guides nomination papers & copies of the Electoral Register can be obtained from:
Electoral Services, Stroud District Council
Ebley Mill
Westward Road
Ebley, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 4UB 01453 766321 Check their website: www.stroud.gov.uk
THE CODE OF CONDUCT & REGISTRATION OF MEMBERS' INTERESTS
These days Parish Councillors must also register any interests they may have as elected members of other local authorities have long since had to do - by filling in a simple form. This would include your name and address + the address of any land you may own within the Parish. For most people this would be their home. You must also make it known who your employer is, if you have one. One copy of the information is to be kept by the Parish Clerk and a copy is sent to the Monitoring Officer at Stroud District Council.
THE POWERS OF TOWN AND PARISH COUNCILS
(A summary of powers for those who want better villages and towns)
Allotments Provision and maintenance of allotments for cultivation.
Arts Developing & improving knowledge of the arts and the crafts which serve the arts.
Baths Provision of baths & wash-houses (in modern terms may mean a launderette)
Borrowing Parish, Town & Community Councils can borrow money for up to a maximum of 25 years B with loan sanction consent. Councils must this consent before borrowing.
Cemeteries Provision & maintenance of burial grounds, cemeteries, crematoria, mortuaries & post-mortem C rooms.
Churchyards Power to contribute to the costs of a churchyard in use & a duty to maintain any closed C churchyard where the duty has been transferred by the Church of England.
Clocks Provision and maintenance of public clocks, on churches or elsewhere.
Commons Power to protect any finally registered common which has no registered owner.
Crime Installation of equipment and establishment of schemes for the detection or
Prevention Prevention of crime; making grants to the police authority for these purposes
Entertain- Provision of any form of public entertainment & any premises for giving entertainments.
ments (includes maintaining bands or orchestras & providing for dancing.
Halls Provision of buildings for public meetings and functions, for indoor sports or physical H recreation, or for the use of clubs or societies having recreational, social or athletic objects.
Legal Power to prosecute and defend any legal proceedings in the interests of inhabitants Proceedings Power to take part in any public local inquiry.
Lighting Provision and maintenance of any footway lighting which lights roads or pavements L provided the columns are not above a specified height.
Litter Provision of litter-bins in streets and support for anti-litter campaigns.
Open Spaces Provision & maintenance of public open spaces, pleasure grounds & public walks.
Parking Places Provision and maintenance of car and cycle parks.
Parks Provision and maintenance of public parks and appropriate facilities.
Planning Local councils have a right to be notified of any planning application affecting their
area & to make comments which the planning authority must take into account.
Playing Provision and maintenance of land for any kind of outdoor recreation,
Fields including boating pools.
Ponds Power to deal with ponds, pools, or other places containing filth or matter prejudicial to health.
Post & Power to guarantee the postal or telephone authorities against a loss on a
Telephone facility.
Public Lavatories Provision and maintenance of public lavatories.
Rights of Way Maintenance of public footpaths and bridleways.
Roadside Verges Power to plant and maintain roadside verges.
Seats Provision and maintenance of public seats on the highway.
Shelters Provision and maintenance of shelters for general public use and also
S particularly for bus passengers.
Signs Power to erect signs which warn of dangers or announce a place name or indicate a S bus stop.
Swimming Provision of indoor or outdoor swimming pools or bathing places.
Tourism Provision of facilities for conferences and encouragement of recreational and business T Tourism.
Traffic Calming Contribution towards the cost of traffic calming works provided by highway authorities.
Transport Establishment of car-sharing and taxi fare concession schemes; making grants for T community bus services and bus services for the elderly or disabled;
Investigation of public transport, road & traffic provision needs;
and provision of information about public transport services.
Village Green Powers to maintain the village or town green.
General In any situation not covered by one of the specific powers described above
Expenditure a council may spend money on any purpose which in its opinion is of direct
Power benefit to its area or to the inhabitants. The total expenditure by the council
on all the cases under this general power must not in any financial year exceed
£5.14* per local government elector in the parish or town or community.
Does YOUR Council Exercise ALL Its Powers?
Source: The National Association of Local Councils leaflet "What Can Local Councils Do?"
* Or as revised by Central Government from time to time.
A grass roots viewpoint:
If most local councils started spending money on the scale indicated by some of the above possible functions, the electors, whose money it is, would have something uncomplimentary say about it. £5.14 per elector would raise over region of £10,000 in addition to the precept (£19,996.00 for 2007/8)