Becoming a Parish Councillor
On Thursday 2 May, you can have your say on who will represent you on the 45 parish councils in the Harborough district, including those within the Chronicle distribution area, for the next four years.
All present councillors must stand for re-election or stand down. There are twelve seats on Kibworth Beauchamp Parish Council, six on Kibworth Harcourt Parish Council and three on Harborough District Council.
Kibworth’s Parish councillors also sit on the Joint Recreation Committee and the Joint Burial Committee and have a non-voting role on the Kibworth Grammar School Hall Trust, the Kibworth Allotment Society and Kibworth Village Hall.
Your local parish council should be able to give you the details relevant to your area.
By becoming a parish councillor you become someone your community will look to for help, guidance and support – a community leader with the power to influence decisions for the benefit of the people you serve.
Seeing your community change for the better, as a result of the decisions you have helped make, is something that can give you a sense of achievement and pride.
As part of a local council you will have responsibility for running local services which may include: open spaces, play areas, village halls, and much more. You will help decide on how much to raise through the council tax in order to deliver your council’s services. You’ll influence and shape the long term development policy for the parish and, as part of the planning process, comment on planning applications in the parish.
You will also help improve the quality of life and the environment in your local area as well as working to identify issues which are important to the lives of the residents you represent. As part of a team you will work to bring about improvements through local projects, lobby other service providers and work in partnership with other parishes and agencies.
It doesn’t cost any money to be a councillor, and parish councillors are not paid. However, you can reclaim necessary travel expenses, and there are certain eligibility criteria, like living or working in or near Kibworth.
The best way to find out what it’s like to be a parish councillor is to talk to someone who’s doing it now. Go along to a parish council meeting, speak to one of the councillors and find out what they think of the job.
A member of the election team from Harborough District Council will be at Kibworth Grammar School Hall on Thursday 28 Marchbetween 4pm and 6.30pm to offer a service of checking and accepting completed nomination papers. This is available to all villagers within the Chronicle distribution area.
Otherwise, completed papers must be submitted by hand to a member of the election staff at the Symington Building in Market Harborough by 4pm on Thursday 4 April.
Election packs and more information is available from your parish clerk.
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