Colehill Parish Council has four vacancies on its parish council which can now be filled by co-option. If you would like to become a Councillor, have a look at some of the sources of information here, and chat with our Councillors or the Clerk to find out more about what it involves.
If you care about the area that you live or work in and the issues facing local people, you could be a Councillor. Local (town and parish) councils are led by democratically elected councillors from the local community. Local Councillors decide on what services and projects the Council will deliver. As representatives of the first tier of local government and the closest to their communities, local Councillors are best placed to engage with their residents and find out what the real local issues are and how to overcome them. To find out more about local councils, take a look at All about Local Councils. For some examples of what local Councils do, take a look at Points of Light 2019
WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?
Most people are qualified to stand for their local council but there are a few rules. You have to be:
- A British citizen, or a citizen of the Commonwealth, or the European Union
- 18 years of age or older
- registered as a local government elector for the parish; or
- has during the whole of the twelve months preceding the date of co-option, occupied as owner or tenant, any land or other premises in the parish; or
- his/her principal or only place of work during those twelve months has been in the parish; or
- has during the whole of twelve months resided in the parish or within 3 miles of it.
You cannot stand for election if you:
- Are the subject of a bankruptcy restriction order or interim order
- Have within five years before the day of the election, been convicted in the United Kingdom of any offence and have had a prison sentence (whether suspended or not) for a period of over three months without the option of a fine
- Work for the council you want to become a councillor for.
- NEW LEGISLATION – LOCAL GOVERNMENT DISQUALIIFCATION ACT 2022 | This act disqualifies individuals subject to certain sexual offence legal orders from standing for election or holding office in local authorities.
If you would like to be considered for co-option, take a look at our Colehill Co-option Policy and submit your Application Form, together with a covering letter setting out what you could bring to the role and the parish of Colehill to the parish Clerk, Zoe Caddy at 17 Four Wells Road Colehill Dorset BH21 7BA, or e-mail it to clerk@colehill.gov.uk.