Councillors & Clerk

The number of councillors serving on a council is determined by Shropshire Council. Elections are held every 4 years and normally take place on the first Thursday of May.

The Role of a Parish Councillor

Councillors represent their local area and everyone who lives there.  To become a councillor a person must be over 21 years of age and fulfil a number of requirements.  Having taken office, a councillor signs a Declaration of Acceptance of Office and abides by the council’s adopted Code of Conduct.

Register of Interests

Councillors must complete and keep up dated a Register of Interests and declare any interests in matters brought before the Council prior to debate.

Parish councillors’ Registers of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests can be found by clicking here.

The Council has adopted a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest Dispensation Procedure.

Gifts & Hospitality

Councillors represent their local area and everyone who lives there.  To become a councillor a person must be over 21 years of age and fulfil a number of requirements.  Having taken office, a councillor signs a Declaration of Acceptance of Office and abides by the council’s adopted Code of Conduct.

Councillors also have to keep a register of any gifts or hospitality accepted.

Responsibility of Councillors

Councillors have a responsibility to attend meetings and should advise the Clerk of the reason if unable to for approval by the council. At meetings Councillors should suggest ideas, engage in constructive debate and then vote on business.

Councillors may be appointed to a position of office but they cannot be paid. They may represent the Council in legal proceedings, if appointed, carry out regulatory duties and represent the Council on outside organisations.

You can view the current Councillors here.

Responsibility of the Clerk

Every Parish Council has a Clerk, often referred to as the Parish Clerk.  The common understanding is that the Clerk organises meetings, takes minutes and send letters.  Over the years as the role and responsibilities of Parish Councils have changed, so has the role and responsibilities of the Clerk.

The Clerk’s overall responsibility is to carry out the policy decisions of the Council.  He is akin to the chief executive of a company, in that he is the person that has overall responsibility for the administration and procedural aspects of the Council. The Clerk is responsible for seeing the business of the Council runs smoothly and efficiently and is conducted in accordance with the law.  Normally, too, he is responsible for ensuring the Council’s financial transactions are properly authorised and recorded.  Most Clerks, as sole Council employees, also have to perform the clerical tasks without which the Council’s business cannot properly be carried out.

So today, the skills of a Clerk have to be wide and professional – not an easy task!