Becoming a Parish Councillor is a rewarding and valued form of public service.
The job of a councillor is to represent the needs of the whole community by working closely with the other councillors, the Chairman and the Clerk. Read has eight councillors.
To stand for the Parish Council a person has to be an elector, be over 18 and a British or Commonwealth citizen or an EU National. They must also have resided in the parish or within 4.8 kilometres (three miles) of it, for the whole twelve months prior to nomination, as a property owner or tenant or have worked in the Parish for that time.
A councillor cannot act as such until they have signed a declaration of acceptance of office and agreed to abide by the Code of Conduct. A councillor must register specific financial interests within 28 days of being elected.
Councillors normally serve for a term of four years. Elections are advertised in the local press and on the village notice board. Occasionally a vacancy may arise in which case any qualifying person can stand for election. If no-one shows an interest in being elected for a vacancy the existing councillors can adopt a new member of their choice by co-option.
Further Resources
For further information on Local Councils please visit the National Association of Local Councils Website.