JOINING THE PARISH COUNCIL
Councillors are elected every 4 years with the last election in May 2006. If you have the interests of the village at heart and are interested in standing for either Parish Council, why not talk to the Parish Council Clerk.
In addition, if a vacancy arises between elections, the Parish Councils will advertise and have the power to co-opt members onto the Council.
ELIGIBILITY TO JOIN THE PARISH COUNCIL
You qualify if, over the last twelve months before the day on which you were nominated, or the day of the election, you have resided in the parish, or within three miles of it, or occupied as owner or tenant any land or premise therein or had your principal place of work there. In addition, you must be 21 or over.
POWERS & DUTIES OF THE PARISH COUNCIL
Parish Councils in general have the power, under various Acts of Parliament, to carry out a variety of work from the provision of allotments to the maintenance of War Memorials. How many, and which, of its powers a Parish Council chooses to exercise depends on such things as the size of the parish and, therefore, its budget, and the demands of its electorate.
QUALITY PARISH COUNCILS
Some years ago, the Government introduced the concept of the Quality Parish Council. In order to achieve this status a council must satisfy certain criteria, for example it must have a minimum of 6 meetings a year, publish a newsletter at least 3 times a year, its clerk must have an approved qualification. If a council becomes a Quality Parish Council, then it will be able to play an enhanced role in the community and provide more services in partnership with its principal authority, which in the case of Heapey and Wheelton Parish Councils is Chorley Borough Council or Lancashire County Council, depending on the service provided.
Both Heapey and Wheelton Parish Councils have resolved to work towards Quality Parish Council status. For more information on Quality Councils go to the DEFRA website.
CODE OF CONDUCT
In 2001, a new Model Code of Conduct for elected and co-opted members of local authorities came into force. Every authority, including Parish Councils, was required to adopt a Code of Conduct that sets out rules governing the behaviour of its members by May 2002.
The Code of Conduct in general covers areas of individual behaviour such as members not abusing their position or not misusing their authorities resources. In addition, there are rules governing registration and disclosure of interests.