The main role of a Parish Councillor is to represent the views of residents living in the Parish.

Councillors have three main roles:

1. Decision Making – By attending Parish Council meetings they decide what local projects to undertake, where money should be spent and what services should be delivered. By having local knowledge of the Parosh they play a vital role in speaking and acting on behalf of the communities they represent.
2. Monitoring – Councillors make sure that their decisions lead to efficient and effective services by keeping an eye on how well things are working.
3. Getting involved locally - As local representatives, councillors have responsibilities towards their constituents and local organisations. These responsibilities and duties often depend on what the councillor wants to achieve and how much time is available, and may include: 

• Going to meetings of organisations affecting the wider community
• Going to meetings of local organisations
• Taking up issues on behalf of members of the public
• Acting as a signpost for Council Services

 

The role of the Parish Clerk is to ensure that the council conducts its business properly and to provide independent, objective and professional advice and support. They are under a statutory duty to carry out all the functions and to serve or issue all the notifications required by the law of a Local Authority’s Proper Officer. The Parish Clerk is an employee of the Parish Council. They are not an elected officer and can only make decisions which the Parish Council’s elected Members delegate to them. Typically, these responsibilities are set out in the Parish Clerk’s contract of employment and include most day-to-day administrative functions.

 

The Parish Council Chairman is elected by the other Councillors and is typically elected for a period of a year.  The Chairman will often represent the Council at community events and is responsible for chairing the meetings of the council, ensuring good order, and using their casting vote in the event of a tie on any matter requiring a Council decision. Beyond this, the Chairman has no other authority and cannot act independently on behalf of the Council.