Wednesday, 8 September 2010
Parish Councillors
Structure of the Parish Council
The Clerk is the paid officer of the Parish Council. The Clerk is appointed to deal with the day to day running of the Council, in arranging and Clerking meetings, maintaining records, dealing with correspondence, overseeing the burial ground, maintaining up to date and accurate financial records of the Parish Council and any other duties prescribed by the Parish Council.
The Chair and the Clerk draw up the agenda for the meeting which is displayed on noticeboards around the village about three working days before the meetings which are held on the second Tuesday in the month except August, at 7.30pm in the Village Hall. At the commencement of each meeting there is approximately ten minutes for members of the public to raise their concerns with the Chairman, having given prior notice to the Clerk. All questions or comments should be addressed through the Chair, in order to avoid any personal animosities developing.
The remaining Parish Councillors have a shared responsibility to represent the views and concerns of their parishoners. Members of the public may contact any councellors of their choice, to discuss their views and concerns regarding parish affairs. If they do not wish to express their views in person at the council meetings, they may ask parish councillors to raise such matters on their behalf.
The Election of Parish Councillors
Election of Parish Councillors occurs every four years. Candidates must be over 18 years of age and on the electoral role of the village (maintained by South Northamptonshire Council on an annual basis). A candidate will also qualify if, during the whole of the twelve months prior to the election, he /she has resided in the locality or within three miles of it, or occupied as owner or tenant any land or premises thererin, or had his/her principal place of work there. Election forms are available from the Clerk or South Northamptonshire Council. Each candidate has to find his/her own sponsor and seconder. All information relating to elections is displayed on the village noticeboards. All Parish Councillors must agree to the Code of Conduct and notify the Council of their financial interests locally.
In the event of a Parish Councillor resigning, a casual vacancy will occur. Unless ten electors request an election to South Northamptonshire Council, this vacancy can be filled by co-option. Anyone interested in filling such posts will see notices advertising the vacancy.
Parish Accounts
The Parish Council is empowered to raise a precept from local parish electors as part of annual rates charges collected by South Northamptonshire Council.
During November and December the Parish Council work out their financial requirements for the following financial year (from April to March), taking into account any reserves it may hold. The Parish Council must budget for the Parish Clerk's salary and expenses, the cost of street lighting, maintenance of roadside verges, village greens, burial grounds, provision of newsletters, reports and anything else, provided it is covered by Local Government legislation. The Parish Council requests a sum of money to carry out these functions -the precept- from South Northamptonshire Council, who raises that sum in the Council Tax.
Accounts both electronic and hard copy are maintained by the Clerk, checked monthly by the Internal Controller (who ideally is a Parish Councillor but not a signatory to the accounts), annually by an internal auditor who is a chartered accountant, and by the external auditor appointed by the Audit Commission.
The accounts are available for inspection on application to the Clerk. The audited accounts are included in the annual report in April of the following year.
Individual Councillors
Use the Councillors Menu to view the web page for each curent councillor.
This include the Councillor's election address (when available) plus any special interests regarding their Parish Council work.
