ROLE OF A PARISH COUNCIL CHAIRMAIN

The Chairman is elected by the members of the Council at the Annual Council meeting and serves for twelve months. The Chairman’s main role is to run council meetings.

The Chairman is responsible for ensuring that effective and lawful decisions are taken at meetings of the council and, assisted by the clerk, guides activities by managing the meetings of the council.

The Chairman is responsible for involving all councillors in discussion and ensuring that councillors keep to the point. The Chairman summarises the debate and facilitates the making of clear resolutions and is responsible for keeping discussions moving so that the meeting is not too long.

The Chairman has a casting vote. His/her first vote is a personal vote as a member of the council. If there is a tied vote, the Chairman can have a second, casting vote.

The Chairman will often be the public face of the council and will represent the council at official events. He/she may be asked to speak on behalf of the council in such circumstances should only expresses the agreed views of the council and not his/her personal views.

The Chairman cannot legally make a decision on behalf of the council.

ROLE OF A PARISH COUNCILLOR

A councillor is a member of the council and is normally elected for a term of four years.

People of any political or religious persuasion are eligible to become a councillor, although their personal views should not extend into their parish council work.

They are elected to represent the interests of the local community as a whole and promote a harmonious local environment.

The number of elected councillors depends on the size of the area.

Local councils are the first tier of governance and are the first point of contact for anyone concerned with a community issue.

They are democratically elected local authorities and exist in England, Wales and Scotland. The term 'local council' is synonymous with 'parish council', 'town council' and 'community council'.

Local councils are made up of locally elected councillors. They are legally obliged to hold at least one meeting a year.

Most meet on a six-weekly cycle to discuss council business and hear from local residents but as business increases many councils now meet monthly.

In addition to this, any committees or sub-committees dealing with specific subjects must also hold regular open sessions, at which members of the public can speak.

District councillors regularly attend parish meetings to report back to the district on developments at parish level.

County, unitary and metropolitan councillors are also invited to attend parish meetings when the parish council feels it is appropriate, and they have a standing invitation to attend and report at the annual assembly.

Councillors attend meetings of the full council and often participate in committees that deal with specific areas of council business.

Councillors take collective decisions that form the policy of the council and training is available in order that the decisions they take are legal.

Being a Parish Councillor can be an interesting and rewarding experience.

The Council Chairman is Peter Moore. He has been on the Council for three years and has recently taken up the role as Chairman. Peter has lived in the village for nine years ands runs a technology company in London.

Aside from his role as Chairman he assumes responsibility for Building and Planning matters which require close liaison with the County Council on new regulatory changes. He also has an interest in Heritage issues and represents the Parish with any enquiries in this area.

Vice Chairman is Andrew Bull and this is his fourth year on the Council.

A resident in the village since 2002, he works in Human Resources for Sainsbury’s in Surrey. He is also a Parent Governor at St. Margarets, the village primary school.

Councillor Alan Collard has lived in Toppesfield for 36 years. 

He was elected to the council, in May 2011, having previously served for 8 years between 1983 and 1991.

Alan retired from a banking career in 2004 and is currently establishing an investment fund focused on Africa.

Councillor John Levick has lived in Gainsford End for nine years and is one of the newest members of the Council having been co-opted at the beginning of 2009.

John runs his own company which specialises in PR and Communications. John’s focus on the Council is naturally communications with a view to keeping residents up to date with everything that is going on locally.

Councillor Fran Laskowski has lived in the village for four years and has been a Councillor for the past three years. Fran works in the Construction industry and is currently very busy working on the 2012 Olympic stadium.

Fran has been instrumental in the revitalisation of the allotments and he will continue to focus in this area. He also has the role of tree warden in the Parish.

Councilor Shaun Sheldrake has been a resident for nine years and has served on the Parish Council for four years.

Shaun is also in the construction industry and is a Director of a company based in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire. Shaun is involved in activities such as the Christmas Celebrations at the village pump house and Essex on Tour. He takes special responsibility for the playing fields and their development.

Councillor Clare Condie is the most recent member of the council, having being co-opted on in May 2011.
Clare has lived in the village for 17 years and is a member of the WI and recently taken on an allotment and become the treasurer of the allotment association.

Clare works as an administrator in a residential care home in Thaxted and is a voluntary fund raiser for Breakthrough Breast Cancer.