Parish Councillor Vacancies
Your local Parish Council was reformed in 1994 following Local Government reorganisation. The Council has seven Member seats and meets on the first Wednesday of every month excluding August when it takes a summer recess. We meet at Pope John Paul II Hall London Road Rayleigh SS6 9DT at 7.30pm and always welcome members of the public to our Meetings.
The Parish Council now have four vacant seats on the Council and are looking to co-opt new Members from within the Parish.
The role of a Councillor is purely voluntary, and there are no set hours for our Councillors, we appreciate that Members do have families, jobs and other commitments, so all that is asked is that Members attend one evening meeting a month, always on the first Wednesday, the meetings start at 7.30 and usually we are finished by 9.30, occasionally we may have to call an extraordinary meeting, but these are few and far between. The only month we don't meet is August when as stated above the Council has a Summer recess.
Between meetings a lot of work is done via email, so access to emails and checking them daily and responding where necessary is really the only other regular commitment and requirement.
The Council deals with issues affecting the Parish and act as consultees only on planning applications, which in brief means they can comment on them, based on planning guidance but never make decisions, this is done by Rochford District Council. As Councillor you may be contacted by local residents for advice, help, but all that is asked is that you make yourself available to talk to them, and then anything that needs further action can be discussed with the other Members and the Clerk and the best course of action is then agreed, you will not be expected to deal with any matters alone, and full training courses on the role of a Councillor are available which the Council pay for. The Council is extremely lucky to have a very well balanced membership who work with each other and are always willing to assist new Members, they have a wealth of personal knowledge and that of Parish and Council matters so work as a team and assist each other.
If you feel the role of a Parish Councillor is of interest and would like more information regarding the role then please do not hesitate to contact our Chairman or our Clerk on the numbers shown, or please join us at our next Meeting to see the Council in progress, and how the meetings are conducted and what sort of things are discussed and actioned.
For and on behalf of Rawreth Parish Council
Cllr Alistir Matthews Chairman
Mrs Hayley Bloomfield Clerk
An Application form for the vacancy of Parish Councillor can be found on the link
/_UserFiles/Files/CoOption Application Form universal.pdf