Fenton and Torskey Lock Parish Council has 7 seats, and currently 1 vacancy.
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Could you be a Parish Councillor? If you're interested, have a read of the following documents:
This document, The Good Councillors' Guide, gives an overview of Parish Council members' powers and duties.
All enquiries about this website or content, please contact the Fenton & Torksey Lock Parish Clerk at clerk@ftl-pc.gov.uk
Co-option policy and application form can be found HERE
Introduction to the Parish Council - for those who wish to express an interest in joining. (amended 31/01/2022)
Thank you for expressing an interest in joining your parish council.
This is intended to give you a flavour of just what you are thinking of getting yourself into.
What is a Parish Council?
Your parish council is a legally constituted corporate body funded by government and subject to legislation.
It is also bound by other rules, operating procedures and policies together with lists of things that it has to do, known as its duties, and other things that it should do and other things that it can’t do.
So it’s complicated and a bit involved.
Structure.
Your council consists of up to 7 elected or co-opted members and they are guided and supported by a professional parish clerk who is a contracted and salaried employee of the parish council.
Roles of the Parish Clerk
It is the parish clerk’s main job to keep your parish council operating smoothly and within the law. The clerk also does a hundred other things as well that are too numerous to mention here. Sufficient to say that a parish council will be in all sorts of trouble without its clerk.
Accountability
Because of all this legal stuff, your parish council is subject to annual audit by government appointed auditors who will penalize us if we get it wrong. So, we also employ another auditor to check us out before the main audit.
Spending
The parish council spends government money on your behalf – this money comes from the taxes that you pay. Every penny has to be accounted for. The audits cover this aspect too – in fact, it is their main function.
Roles and Responsibiliteis - Parish Councillor.
As a parish councillor you would be an elected representative who volunteers your time freely to work on behalf of local residents. By becoming a parish councillor you can become a voice for your community, somebody who residents will look to for help, guidance and support.
Learning opportunities.
As a new parish councillor you don’t have to learn everything at once. That’s just not possible. The parish clerk and the other members are there to help you, although we admit it can seem a bit daunting at the start.
Fortunately there is also training given by outside resources that your parish council will pay for. Training is considered essential and if applicable, your employer is required to provide time off from work so that you can attend although there are evening courses available.
Summary
So in summary, to take on the role of becoming a parish councillor you will have to be committed to serve the community and be willing to learn. There is also a lot of stuff to read; past minutes of meetings are invaluable to let you know what’s been going on and how business is conducted.
There are regular parish council meetings to attend. These are formal and open to the public. We try to keep them friendly too.
This is a tough job and it’s not just about turning up when a meeting is called. It’s about getting properly involved. It’s also about ideas and having the drive to see them through despite the problems that will undoubtedly be encountered. It’s also about friendly persuation, concession, reasoned argument, diligence, co-operation, getting along with others and perhaps, a little bit of expertise.
If you think that you can handle all of the above and more, then please ask for an application form and we’ll be really happy to welcome you on board.
Thank you.