Role of the Parish Council
Parish Councillors are elected by the electors of the parish, under section 16 (2) of the Local Government Act 1972, every four years. All Councillors are required to complete a declaration of acceptance of office and to provide a written undertaking that they accept the Council’s Code of Conduct. Individual councillors work together to serve the community and to help the Council to make decisions on behalf of the local community. Except for discussion of certain confidential matters (e.g. staffing), Council meetings are open to the press and public.
The Council represents and serves the whole community by providing services, establishing community plan and priorities, and deciding how money will be raised and spent on behalf of the community. It is responsible for spending public money lawfully and achieving the best value for money.
Local councils are the first tier of governance and are the first point of contact for anyone concerned with a community issue.
The Chair of the Council is elected as the first agenda item at every Annual Parish Council Meeting. Their main role is to run Council meetings, ensuring - guided by the Clerk - that effective and lawful decisions are taken, and they have a casting vote should voting on any matter be tied. The Chair will often be the public face of the council and represent the council at official events, but anything they say can only express the agreed view of the Council, and they cannot make decisions or comments on behalf of the council in between meetings.
A Councillor is normally elected for a term of four years. Adults 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. Skelton cum Newby Parish Council has five elected councillors; three representing Skelton-on-Ure, and one each representing Givendale, and Newby with Mulwith.
The Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer is the "proper officer" of the Council and is is employed to provide administrative support for the Council’s activities. The Clerk’s primary responsibility is to advise the council on whether its decisions are lawful and to recommend ways in which decisions can be implemented. To help with this, they will often undertake research and provide unbiased information and advice to allow the Council to make appropriate choices.
The Council represents and serves the whole community by providing services, establishing community plan and priorities, and deciding how money will be raised and spent on behalf of the community. It is responsible for spending public money lawfully and achieving the best value for money.
Local councils are the first tier of governance and are the first point of contact for anyone concerned with a community issue.
The Chair of the Council is elected as the first agenda item at every Annual Parish Council Meeting. Their main role is to run Council meetings, ensuring - guided by the Clerk - that effective and lawful decisions are taken, and they have a casting vote should voting on any matter be tied. The Chair will often be the public face of the council and represent the council at official events, but anything they say can only express the agreed view of the Council, and they cannot make decisions or comments on behalf of the council in between meetings.
A Councillor is normally elected for a term of four years. Adults 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. Skelton cum Newby Parish Council has five elected councillors; three representing Skelton-on-Ure, and one each representing Givendale, and Newby with Mulwith.
The Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer is the "proper officer" of the Council and is is employed to provide administrative support for the Council’s activities. The Clerk’s primary responsibility is to advise the council on whether its decisions are lawful and to recommend ways in which decisions can be implemented. To help with this, they will often undertake research and provide unbiased information and advice to allow the Council to make appropriate choices.