Parish Council Meetings are open to the public so why not come along? We hope that you will find it interesting and we would like to increase our community engagement. This helps to ensure that the decisions that are reached have the support of local residents. You never know, you may wish to get more involved – there are lots of ways to contribute, from attending meetings and asking questions, to joining in with volunteer events, becoming a lay member on our Estates Committee, or becoming a Councillor!
The Parish Clerk (Hilary Workman) is employed by the Parish Council to undertake the Council’s administration.
Wickhambrook is allocated 8 Parish Councillors who are elected for a period of four years or co-opted to fill vacancies as necessary. The most recent Parish and District Elections took place on 4th May this year. Cllr Sarah Pugh was re-elected as our District Councillor to West Suffolk Council, and four of our Councillors stood and were returned uncontested:
Cllr Paul Couzens
Cllr Mike Lavelle
Cllr Sandy Thwaite and
Cllr Tracey Turner
This means that we have four vacancies which need to be filled for the parish council. Because the vacancies were previously notified, there is no need for a further period of notice, and the parish council may move to co-opt. We would like to fill these vacancies as soon as possible. If you care about the area that you live or work in and the issues facing local people, you could become a councillor.
Local (town and parish) councils are led by democratically elected councillors from the local community. Local councillors decide on what services and projects the council will deliver. As representatives of the first tier of local government and the closest to their communities, local councillors are best placed to engage with their residents and find out what the real local issues are and how to overcome them. To find out more about local councils, take a look at All about Local Councils. For some examples of what local Councils do, take a look at Points of Light 2019
What else do you need to know?
Most people are qualified to stand for their local council but there are a few rules. You have to be:
- A British citizen, or a citizen of the Commonwealth, or the European Union
- 18 years of age or older
- Live in an area that is served by a local council
You cannot stand for election if you:
- Are the subject of a bankruptcy restriction order or interim order
- Have within five years before the day of the election, been convicted in the United Kingdom of any offence and have had a prison sentence (whether suspended or not) for a period of over three months without the option of a fine
- Work for the council you want to become a councillor for.
You can refer to the website of the Electoral Commission for full details.
If you would like to find out more, please do call the parish clerk or one of our councillors. If you would like to be considered as a councillor, please take a look at the procedure and role spec, and complete and return a co-option application and eligibility form to Hilary
To find out more about the work of Wickhambrook Parish Council, take a look at the Chairman’s report from the 2023 Annual Parish Meeting, and the clerk’s financial report.
For information about our upcoming meetings and events, click on this link