Calling all community heroes! Do you want to make a positive difference to your community?
Have you considered becoming a Parish Councillor?
What does a local council do?
Your local council has overall responsibility for the wellbeing of your local community. Their work falls into three main categories:
- Delivery of services
- Improve quality of life for residents
- Give communities a democratic voice
Becoming a local councillor
As a local councillor you can become a voice for your community and make real change. Councillors are community leaders and represent the interests of the communities they serve. Local councillors have three main responsibilities:
- Decision-making
- Monitoring
- Getting involved locally
Being eligible as a Parish Councillor
To stand for election to a local council you must be:
- At least 18 years old
- A British citizen; an eligible Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of any Member State of the European Union
AND meet at least one of the following:
- The applicant is, and will continue to be, registered as a local government elector for the parish in which they wish to stand from the day of their co-option onwards.
- The applicant has occupied as owner or tenant any land or other premises in the parish area during the whole of the 12 months before the day of their co-option.
- The applicant’s main or only place of work during the 12 months prior to the day of their co-option has been in the parish area.
- The applicant has lived in the parish area or within three miles of it during the whole of the 12 months before the day of their co-option.
AND
You are not disqualified from standing:
- employed by the Parish Council or holds a paid office for the Parish Council
- subject of a Bankruptcy Restrictions Order (or interim order) in England or Wales
- have been sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 3 months or more (incl. suspended sentence)
- have been disqualified under Audit Commission Act 1998
- are serving a disqualification due to being found guilty of a corrupt or illegal practice by an election court
- subject to the notification requirement of or under Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, and the ordinary period allowed for making an appeal or application in respect of the order or notification has passed
- convicted of an intimidatory criminal offence motivated by hostility towards a candidate, future candidate or campaigner or holder of a relevant elective office
This list is not exhaustive. Please see electoralcommission.org.uk for full details.
March 2025
Following the resignation of Jacki Rushby, electors were given the opportunity to call for an election. NKDC have now notified us that they did not receive a request from 10 electors for an election, and therefore we are now permitted to co-opt to fill this vacancy. Please check the eligibility and disqualification criteria as stated on this page. If you are interested in becoming a councillor and would like to find out more about the role, please contact the parish office (01522 790826 or parishoffice@heighington-pc.gov.uk) or compete the co-option application form: Co-option Application Form..
The closing date for expressions of interest is Monday 31 March 2025. Applications will be considered at the next Full Council meeting, which will be held on Monday 14 April.
