Thinking of becoming a Parish Councillor?

Have you ever thought about becoming a town or parish councillor? Would you like to find out more about the role?
Workshops will take place in the New Year in Alnwick, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Choppington and Hexham to provide information and advice. 
At each session county council and Northumberland Association of Local Councils officers and parish/town councillors will be attending to give presentations and advice.

Sessions will cover the following:
· What are parish and town councils?
· What powers and freedoms do they have?
· How do they relate to the County Council?
· How can you apply or stand to become a parish or town councillor?


The sessions will take place as follows:
· Monday 21 January 2013 - Council Chamber, Clayport Street, Alnwick
· Thursday 24 January 2013 - Prospect House, Hexham
· Monday 28 January 2013 – William Elder Building, Berwick-upon-Tweed 
· Wednesday 30 January 2013 - Jamieson Room, Choppington Social Welfare Centre, Scotland Gate, Choppington.


Light refreshments will be provided at 6pm before each workshop begins at 6.30pm. The sessions will be chaired by the area chairman for the area: Councillor Pat Scott in Alnwick and Berwick-upon-Tweed, Councillor Colin Horncastle in Hexham and Councillor Ian Swithenbank in Choppington. There will be opportunities to ask questions throughout each session.

Paddy Gascoigne, service manager for democratic services at Northumberland County Council said: “Councils depend on the energy, enthusiasm and the commitment of local people. It can be immensely rewarding joining your local council and you can really improve local life. If you would like to know more about becoming a town or parish councillor, I would urge you to get in touch.” 

If you are interested in attending, please telephone Mike Bird in democratic services on 01670 622616 or email demserv.ar@northumberland.gov.uk so that numbers for each event can be confirmed.

Parish News - November 2012

There will be no Parish Council meeting in December – the next one is scheduled for Thursday, January 17^th 2013 at 7.15pm in the Reading Room.

A problem has arisen in respect of the proposed parking bays behind the Church. This is due to not knowing whom the land belongs to! Northumberland County Council advise that it is not theirs, and it does not appear to belong to either the Church or the Parish Council. Further enquiries are therefore necessary.

Councillor Jordon has been busy planting throughout the village and we all hope that 2013 will be a much better year as regards the weather. Various other tidy up jobs have been undertaken too. The Action Plan in response to the Village Questionnaire is also updated on the website.

There will be Parish Council elections in May this year when all Councillors will be eligible for re-election. More news on this later as I expect the County Council will soon be sending me an awful lot of literature (mainly be email to save their costs but it still needs reading and/or printing).

Margaret Davenport
Clerk to Ovingham Parish Council