Council Elections 2015

Helmdon Parish Council Elections 2015

| meet the candidates |

You should consider becoming a parish councillor if:

• You Want To Do Something Positive for the Community
• You Want To Spend Your Time Productively
• You Can Think, Listen and Act Locally, in the best interests of the parish of Helmdon
• You Want to Give Something Back to Your Community

The Role

Parish councillors are elected by the public at an election, normally held on the first Thursday in May every four years. The next election will be on 7 May 2015. Being a parish councillor is an unpaid position although allowances to cover costs are sometimes available. Your term of office is 4 years.

Helmdon Parish Council does lots of good things for the community:

• Pays for the mowing of Jenner’s Piece, the green around the war memorial and various other areas around the village
• Provides play equipment, swings and slides on the school field and rents the school field outside school hours for the use of the whole village
• Comments on all planning applications relating the the village, making sure that all development is appropriate and in keeping with the village
• Appoints a Parish Paths Warden to keep an eye on all the footpaths and other rights of way around the village
• Appoints a Highways Representative to monitor the condition of the highway in and around Helmdon and report any defects to Northamptonshire Highways
• Pays for all the streetlighting in the village
• Appoints a Tree Warden to keep an eye on trees with preservation orders and any other trees in public spaces
• Organises public meetings and represents the public regarding significant developments, such as the proposed wind farm.

These are just some of the things that Helmdon Parish Council gets involved with. Do you have a particular project in mind? Join the council and try to make it happen!

Effort Required

TIME – It is possible to spend a lot of time on parish council work – but most people have jobs, families and hobbies that also demand a lot of time. However, as with most things, the more you put in, the more you (and the village) will get out. Expect to spend 10 to 12 hours per month initially on average, with a greater proportion of those hours occurring just before and just after a meeting.

Helmdon Parish Council normally meets in the evening on the fourth Wednesday of every other month. It is IMPORTANT to know the pattern of meetings to make sure they can accommodate your domestic and/or business arrangements. The council also has committees; these usually meet in between the meetings of the full parish council.

COST – Being a councillor should cost you little. There is usually cover for subsistence and travel allowances if your duties take you out of the village. These allowances will be determined by the council, and will be within a maximum laid down by the Government.

Nomination process

A prospective candidate must deliver in person to the Returning Officer for the election (or their deputies) a valid nomination paper. You can get a nomination pack from the Parish Clerk or from the elections team at South Northants Council. Please see contact details below.

Your surname, forename(s), residence and description (if required) must be entered as well as your electoral roll number from the current register of electors. The elections team at South Northants Council has a copy of this register, as does the Parish Clerk. The nomination paper must also contain similar particulars of a proposer and a seconder who must be electors in the parish of Helmdon: they must sign the nomination paper.

Election Timetable

Elections usually coincide with the election year of South Northants Council and are therefore held on the same day. For 2015 the parish council election also coincides with the UK Parliamentary Election.

If you decide to stand for election to the parish council you must submit your nomination in person to Election Officers at South Northants Council by 4:00 pm on Thursday 9 April 2015. It is an absolute deadline (4:01 is no good!). Preparing your nomination papers can take several days to get all the details together and you should deliver your papers personally by hand to South Northants Council who will be operating an appointment system to receive nominations. Your papers will be checked for you and their validity confirmed.

Polling Day itself is Thursday 7 May 2015.

Eligibility and Requirements

Initially, you may have little knowledge of Council work but this will come, along with experience and confidence.

As a new Councillor you will bring to the Council fresh enthusiasm and new ideas, a care for your community and a willingness to learn.

You are qualified to be a councillor if, when nominated you are –

• a British subject or Irish citizen,
• 18 years of age, and
• either in the list of electors for the parish or have during the whole of the preceding twelve months
• occupied land as owner or tenant in it, or
• had a principal place of work there, or
• resided in or within three miles of it.

What Next?

If you are considering becoming a candidate for election you are very strongly recommended to contact the elections team at South Northants Council to obtain information on what you need to do to be nominated. South Northants Council produces guidance on Election Procedures and it is imperative that these are followed or you may find your have disqualified yourself from candidacy. Further details and contact information is also available from the Parish Clerk.

Please Contact

Mr Simon Loake
Clerk to Helmdon Parish Council
1 Meadow Rise
Tiffield
Northamptonshire
NN12 8AP

T: [phone number removed]
E: parishcouncil@helmdon.com

South Northamptonshire Council
Electoral Services
Springfields
Towcester
NN12 6AE

T: [phone number removed] or [phone number removed]
E: electoral.services@southnorthants.gov.uk

You can also contact any of the current councillors to ask what it is like to be a councillor and how Helmdon Parish Council works.