Being a Parish Councillor
A Parish Council is a local authority that makes decisions on behalf of the people in the Parish. It is the level of government closest to the community, with the district authority (East Cambridgeshire) above it in the hierarchy. As it is the authority closest to the people, Parish Councils are invariably the first-place people will go with concerns or ideas. For this reason, they are a vital part of any community.
Parish Councillors are elected representatives who volunteer their time, freely, to work on behalf of local residents. By becoming a Parish Councillor, you become someone your community will look to for help, guidance and support, a community leader with the power to influence decisions for the benefit of the people you serve. Seeing your community improve, as a result of decisions you have helped make, is something that has given many Parish Councillors a sense of achievement and pride.
In Wilburton there are 9 Parish Councillor positions making up the Full Council. The Full Council meets once a month, with the exception of August, on the first Monday of the month at 8pm in St Peter’s Hall, with meetings usually lasting two hours. In addition, there are two committees; Finance, whose meetings take place before the Full Council meeting and last approximately 30 minutes; and Planning, with meetings taking place as and when applications are received. The Parish Council has a number of working groups including: The Recreation Improvement Group, The Wilburton Beer Festival, The Fireworks Committee and The Community Cinema Committee. Councillors are required to sit on one or two of the committees and/or working groups.
Wilburton Parish Council has an exciting agenda for the coming year including work on developing our recreational and community spaces. We will also be working to keep our assets – Berristead Close green and playpark, St Peters Hall, The Cottage flats, the Sandpits, the Allotments and the Cemetery in good order, along with the leased Recreation field.
Qualification: Any person can be elected or co-opted as a councillor if they meet the criteria:
- be a British subject over 18 years old
- be listed on the current electoral role
- live in Wilburton, or within 3 miles of its boundary, or occupy as owner/tenant any land/premises therein OR have a principal place of work within the Parish for at least one year
- must not be disqualified from holding office as a Councillor
Disqualification: A person is however disqualified from being elected or being a Councillor by co-option if they:
- hold any paid employment or office in the authority that they seek election
- are the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order or other interim order
- have within five years before the day of election or co-option or since their election/co-option been convicted of any offence and has had passed on them a sentence of imprisonment of at least three months (whether suspended or not) without the option of a fine
- have been found guilty of corrupt or illegal practices or responsible for incurring unlawful expenditure and the court ordered their disqualification
If you are interested in applying to become a councillor, please contact the Parish Clerk as follows:
Parish Clerk: Rixon Zvauya Mobile: 07510102444 Email: clerk.wilburton@gmail.com