Parish Councillor Required

Please see notice of vacancy here.

Meppershall Parish Council needs a new team member; if you think you would like to join the Parish Council team contact the Clerk on 07480 251746 or email clerk@meppershall-pc.gov.uk  

What is a councillor? 

• Individual elected or co-opted to represent Meppershall.  
• Elected by the public every 4 years, but there is currently a co-option space vacant. 

What do councillors do? 

Councillors have three main components to their work:  

1. Decision making – Through meetings with other councillors they decide which activities to support, where money should be spent, what services should be delivered and what policies should be implemented.
2. Monitoring – Councillors make sure that their decisions lead to efficient and effective services by keeping an eye on how well things are working.
3. Getting involved locally – As local representatives, councillors have responsibilities towards their constituents and local organisations. These responsibilities and duties often depend on what the councillor wants to achieve and how much time is available, and may include: 

• Going to meetings of local organisations such as the Beds Police Priority Setting Meetings
• Reviewing planning applications
• Participating in litter picks 
• Taking up issues on behalf of members of the public 

How much time does it take up? 

• About an hour a week although some spend more time than this – and some less, but in the main,  

Skills and training 

• You will be supported in your role and will be expected to undertake some training.  
• You should be comfortable working electronically.  
• You should have a positive outlook and a can-do attitude and be willing to work as part of a team.  

Benefits  

• An enjoyable way of contributing to village life and helping to make Meppershall a better place to live and work. 

What is a Parish Council?

A Parish Council is the smallest localised tier of local government, and is a properly constituted local authority. It consists of elected representatives of the Parish, who voluntarily take on the role of councillors.

The powers and duties, and the manner in which a Parish Council operates are set out in local government statute and regulations. Usually, Parish Councils are responsible for the provision of village services, e.g. in the case of Meppershall: grass cutting, allotments, recreation areas, play equipment etc.

The Parish Council raises funds via the annual Precept, which is set in January of each year. The Precept is the total amount raised through council tax payments, collected by Central Bedfordshire Council, from all the dwellings within the Parish area to help support Parish Council services and activities. The Council also raises funds by through grants from other organisations.

Meppershall Parish Council

Meppershall Parish Council has ten Councillors. The work of the members of the Council is voluntary, and the councillors give their time freely to help enhance the village and support the village’s other organisations, for the benefit of all residents.
The Parish Council exists to represent the views of all its residents, their ideas and suggestions for improvements in the village. We have three employees:

• The Clerk, who manages all financial and administrative aspects in connection to council business
• The Community & Environment Officer, who assists with allotments and green spaces.

The Council owns some green spaces (Old Road Meadow Nature Reserve and Centenary Field) and rents allotments on a leasehold section of land, off Fildyke Road.

Meppershall Parish Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the values of the Meppershall community and to enhancing the quality of village life and pride in Meppershall.

The Council normally meets on the second Monday of each month but please check our published meeting dates for 2022-2023 starting in April 2022 and 2023-2024 starting in April 2023. The meetings always start at 19:00.

Prior to each meeting, the Agenda can be viewed on the Council Notice Board and this website. Members of the public and press are welcome to attend any Council meeting. A period of fifteen minutes is set aside during each meeting for anyone attending to ask questions of the Council or raise any queries or concerns that they feel the Council could assist with.