Middleton Parish Council

• representing your local community
• delivering services to meet local needs
• striving to improve quality of life in the parish

The council have a series of powers and duties to enable them to achieve this.

How do they make decisions?

The parish council is made up of a number of councillors who meet regularly to make decisions on the work and direction of the council. As an elected body the parish council is responsible to the people they represent. For a list of current councillors please click here.

The council is governed by a set of standing orders that define how the council should operate.

Attending a council meeting is the best way to find out what they do. The next meeting is advertised on this website (on the front page), or on the noticed boards in the village. For details of previous council meetings you can download the meeting minutes and agendas, click here.

How are parish councillors elected?

Parish councillors are elected to represent a geographical area either known as a ward for larger towns or as is the case with Middleton the parish as a whole. They are elected by people who live in the area (though you can only vote if you appear on the electoral register), usually during a single parish election. Most parish elections are on the same cycle, every 4 years. However, parish elections may instead be held together with associated principal council elections. The next schedule election is not until 2011. Click here for details on the election procedure.

Positions on the council may also become available within mid term, which can lead to a by-election. Alternatively the position can be filled through a procedure called "co-option", click here for a copy of the co-option procedure adopted by Middleton Parish Council.

It should be noted that an election only occurs if there are more people standing than there are position on the council.  This is why there has not been an actual election for sometime in Middleton.

What do parish councillors do?

Once elected councillors have three main areas of work:

1. Decision-making: through attending meetings and committees with other elected members, councillors decide which activities to support, where money should be spent, what services should be delivered and what policies should be implemented.
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. This often depends on what the councillor wants to achieve and how much time is available.

Quite often councillors say that their duties occupy them for about three hours a week. Obviously there are some councillors who spend more time than this – and some less, but in the main, being a parish councillor is an enjoyable way of contributing to your community and helping to make it a better place to live and work. Do you want to know more then please read the Good Councillor Guide.

Can I become a parish councillor we hear you say, well click here to find out.