campaignactioncampaignactioncampaignactioncampaignaction elected!
Peak and District MAG Rep Sean Buckley decided to explore getting himself elected as a councillor and discovered that it ainʼt that hard
Have you ever phoned your local Borough, County, City or Parish Council to complain or ask them to do or have a look at something for you, only to finish the conversation thinking that nobody was actually listening? Well, there is at least one easy way to get things done and improved, and that is to become a Councillor yourself - at least a Parish or Ward Councillor. It doesn't cost you anything except usually one evening a
month of your time, or, rather like MAG, more if want to be more involved. Most Parish and similar small Councils are desperate for members, often with unfilled or vacant seats anyway, but we have a golden opportunity coming up in May 2011 as there will be generalised Local and Parish/Ward Council elections throughout the country, and sitting Councillors will have to stand for re-election (or not, as the case may well be). This gives you as an individual and a biker/triker, a prime opportunity to have your voice and your views heard more strongly and taken more seriously within your community and often in a wider area. You also get to find out a lot more about what's going on! This is going to become especially important in the next few
years as the Government is looking at giving Parish and Ward Councils substantial new and increased powers, responsibilities and finances in connection with Highways and many other matters. I became a rural Parish Councillor 18 months ago. Yes, it can be
very "Vicar of Dibley" at times and yes, you can get frustrated and bang your head against the wall, but you can also get things done and there's a lot of satisfaction in that. I’m not a ‘suit’ by far, nor have I any particular qualifications or abilities, except that I care about where I live and the wider matters that affect me as a resident and a rider, so I decided to stop moaning and go see what it was all about. It's very easy to apply to be a Parish Councillor, although yes,
you do have to get elected. However it is rare for there to be much of a contest (the number of candidates often being less than the number of seats), and we are not talking about political parties,
electioneering, meetings and leafleting here. Just put your name forward when an election is called, either for the whole Council as will happen in many parts of the country in May 2011, or when a later specific vacancy arises. You can only stand for the Parish or Ward that you live in, so:
Step 1 is to phone your local Council's Electoral Services department and check the name of your Ward.
Step 2 is to register your interest and ask them in due course to send you the nomination/application forms so that you may put your name forward for election - I'm assuming that we're talking only about the May 2011 election here although the process is the same for any later individual vacancies which arise, usually advertised in your Parish/Ward noticeboards and newsletters. The election process may not be open yet, but they'll either tell you when to reapply or they’ll keep your name on a list of interested parties.
Step 3 You'll need two local people to propose and second you on the nomination form, and then it has to be returned to the Electoral Services department by a given date. There are a few other simple forms and declarations to deal with (personal information) a bit officially-worded, but don't be put off.
Step 4 You are then an official candidate. Let everybody know that you will be standing and ask them to vote for you in the upcoming elections. Simple!
So good luck, and let's see if we can get a MAG member in every local Parish or other similar Council and really get our voice heard. Let's be more than just voters this time...
Sean Buckl ey, Rep for Peak and Dis tri ct MAG and Parish Councillor.
The ROAD 59
I wanna be
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84