Be Heard, Be a Penrith Town Councillor!

Be Heard, Be a Penrith Town Councillor!

Now is an exciting time to become a Town Councillor for Penrith!

With Local Government Reorganisation in Cumbria just around the corner, Eden District Council and Cumbria County Council will be replaced by the new Westmorland & Furness Council, making Penrith Town Council even more important in representing the views of the local community to the new authority.

Penrith Town Council has responsibility for the well-being of your local community. Council work falls into three main categories:

• Delivery of services

• Improve quality of life for residents

• Give communities a democratic voice

Elections for positions at Penrith Town Council are taking place on Thursday 4 May. 15 councillors will be elected for the six wards in Penrith, and one of them could be you!

As a councillor, you can become a voice for your community and make the views of Penrith heard by the new Westmorland & Furness Council.

Here are 5 reasons why you should consider becoming a councillor:

1. You can make a difference to your local community and be involved in shaping its future.

2. You can represent the views of local people and make sure they count!

3. You can improve the quality of life and the environment of Penrith.

4. You can work to identify issues which are important to the lives of Penrith residents.

5. You can work to bring about improvements through local projects, lobbying other service providers and working in partnership with other organisations and authorities.

Almost anyone can become a councillor. You do not need any specific qualifications. Councillors come from all sorts of backgrounds and, if anything, life experience is the most important attribute you can bring to the role!

How much time will I need to volunteer for?

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) Local Councillor Census Survey found that councillors put aside, on average, three hours a week for council work. This often includes attending meetings, engaging with residents and speaking on behalf of the council to other bodies. You can do as much as you wish to. We only have six meetings of full Council in a year, you don’t have to sit on a committee and missing the occasional one is acceptable. Meetings generally only take a couple of hours, but we’d love you to attend as much as you can.

Can I stand?

There are only a few rules to stand for election. You must be:

• a British citizen, Commonwealth citizen, citizen of the Irish Republic or a citizen of another European Union State.

• 18 years of age or older, and

• on the register of electors for Penrith, lived in Penrith for the whole of the preceding twelve months, occupied land as owner or tenant, had a principal place of work in the parish boundary, or lived within 4.8 kilometres (or 3 miles) of it.

You cannot stand for election if you:

• are the subject of a bankruptcy restriction order or interim order.

• have, within 5 years before the day of the election, been convicted in the UK of any offence and have had a prison sentence (whether suspended or not) for a period of over 3 months without the option of a fine.

• work for the council you want to become a councillor for.

How do I get elected?

You can choose to stand for election as an independent candidate or as a partypolitical candidate. Belonging to a political party is not necessary, however if you wish to represent a political party you will need to contact your local branch directly to discuss becoming a candidate.

For More Information

Pop into the Council offices on Friargate to meet us and have a word about what the Town Council is doing and what the role entails. The offices are open 9am until 3pm Monday to Wednesday.

For more information about becoming a councillor and the nomination process please visit: www.eden.gov. uk/voting-and-elections/bea-councillor