VACANCY - PARISH COUNCILLOR
Following the resignation of one of our councillors the Capel St Mary Parish Council is advertising a vacancy for a Parish Councillor. We shall be looking for someone to join us in this position in April / May 2018.
To become a Parish Councillor, which is a voluntary position, you must be an elector of the parish or during the whole of the last 12 months either occupied as owner or tenant, land or other premises in the parish or your principal or only place of work is in the parish or you live within 3 miles of the parish boundary.
The main purpose of a Parish Councillor is to represent the views of all residents within your village.
As part of a local council you will have responsibility working with the Parish Council to manage many aspects of the village, deciding on how much to raise through the council tax in order to deliver your council’s services, influencing and shaping the development of the village and as part of the planning process, commenting on planning applications. You would look to improve the quality of life and the environment in the local area, working to identify issues which are important to the lives of the residents you represent and working to bring about improvements through local projects.
The Capel St Mary Parish Council meets 7.30pm on the second Monday of each month in the library to which you would be expected to attend, we do not meet in August. In addition we also have further Working Parties and Committees to cover additional needs, for example; Allotments, Finance, Planning, Neighbourhood Planning, all of which are optional.
If you are interested in becoming a Parish Councillor, or would like further information on what is involved please contact Julie Lawes, Parish Clerk on 01473 314103 or visit the office Tuesdays 10am-12noon or Fridays 1pm-3pm.
We are situated to the rear of Drayton Insurance Services.
Local Council Award Scheme
The Capel St Mary Parish Council is delighted to report that we have achieved the initial Foundation Level in the Local Council Award Scheme, which replaced the Quality Parish Council Status. This is a much more rigerous process and the council is well underway on looking to move up to the next level. This award is in recognition for our outstanding contribution to the community and shows that we are operating correctly and well above the required standards. This was achieved by the council giving evidence of the work carried out.
The Capel St Mary Parish Council is made up of 14 volunteer Councillors who meet every month of the year except August to discuss a variety of issues that affect day to day life within the village from large scale development and planning applications to street lighting.
We meet on the second Monday of each month in the Library, located within the Village Hall complex at 7.30pm.
You will see agendas for these meetings posted on the notice boards located outside the Co-op and outside Drayton Insurance. They are also available on this website.
There is a Half Hour Open Forum at which residents are invited to speak and may raise questions or comment on planning applications. The Parish Council will do everything within its powers to assist residents needs and requests.
In addition to the monthly Parish Council meetings we also hold meetings for Allotments, Emergency Planning, Finance and Planning. There is a lot of work that takes place in the background to ensure we do our best for you, the resident.
We hold an Annual Parish Meeting in March at which reports are given by our representatives from Babergh District Council, Suffolk County Council and Parish Council. We have a guest speaker at these meetings and residents are invited to join council representatives afterwards informally, allowing the opportunity to discuss community topics whilst enjoying refreshments provided.
Our Annual General Meeting takes place in May at which Councillors decide their responsibilities, and every four years we hold our elections.
Should a Councillor step down from his or her position between elections the vacancy would then be advertised in the local magazine 'In Touch with Capel Capers' and also on our web-site and notice boards.
If you have any further questions or any issues you would like to raise with the Parish Council the clerk would be happy to speak with you during office hours which are:
- Tuesday 10am to 12noon
- Friday 1pm to 3pm
The office is situated to the rear of Mallwoods Building Society
27a The Street
Capel St Mary
Ipswich
IP9 2EE
Tel / Fax: 01473 314103