Parish Councillor vacancies
We will imminently have two vacancies for Parish Councillors in Escrick - this is good opportunity to get involved, bring new ideas and influence decisions that impact our community.
What is the Parish Council?
The Parish Council is the first tier of local government. It has relatively few responsibilities (i.e. things that it must do) - but has a reasonable degree of flexibility over things that it can choose to do.
In Escrick there are eleven Councillors who collectively make the decisions, and we employ a part-time Clerk (3 days per month) to ensure compliance, manage finances, and provide some administrative support.
What sort of things does the Parish Council do?
- We lease, maintain and insure the village green and the playground (with the welcome support of the village green association and playing fields association);
- We own and maintain about half the street lights in the village, and those in Hollicarrs Close;
- We own and fill most of the grit bins in the village;
- We own and maintain the village defibrillator;
- We own and maintain the war memorials, Jubilee fountain, and Coronation memorial;
- We bought an additional dog waste bin for the footpath east of Skipwith Road;
- We lobby the county council on relevant issues, particularly highways;
- We make representations on planning applications, the local plans, and other relevant consultations;
- We help navigate residents to the right authority when they have a problem or complaint.
We receive our income through Council tax. Councillors collectively decide how much tax to levy, and where it is spent. Currently we raise £19,000 per annum through Council tax, which is spent predominantly on street lighting, insurance, grass cutting, and the clerk’s salary. Around 20% of the budget is ‘discretionary’, for initiatives such as additional street lighting, discretionary maintenance, grit bins, etc.
What is involved? How much time does it take?
We usually have Council meetings monthly (first Monday of the month 7.30pm - 9pm), and there is typically a little bit of background reading ahead of meetings. Most Councillors also get involved in one or more of the working groups or committees. For example:
- The planning working group reviews all planning applications in the Parish, and provides feedback to the planning officers at Selby District Council (who are responsible for determining planning applications). The planning working group is also in the process of developing a Neighbourhood Development Plan - which will set out long term guidance for development in the Parish (for example design standards, but also identifying where additional infrastructure or road improvements may be required to support additional development).
- We have a working group that coordinates the annual ‘spring clean’ and ‘autumn clean’ events
- The Admin & Finance committee oversees matters such as letting of contracts (e.g. grass cutting, insurance, etc), HR and general compliance matters
Most current Parish Councillors put in several hours a month in addition to meetings, usually in ways that best leverages their skills and fits in with their lifestyle. Ultimately, we need both good ideas and people willing to help make things happen.
But I'm not retired....
Some people have a stereotype of Parish Councils as a group of old men who have lived in a village all their lives.
Escrick is fortunate in not living up to that stereotype and helpfully has a Parish Council that represents a broad demographic of residents. The majority of Councillors are not retired (some even have young children!), and whilst we do have some long-term resident Councillors, we also have Councillors who have moved to the area more recently. (ps: retired old men are also welcomed!)
The roles of Parish, District and County Councils
There’s a common misunderstanding that the Parish Council is the local branch of the County Council - or similar. This isn’t the case. Escrick Parish Council, Selby District Council and North Yorkshire County Council are three distinct bodies, with separate roles and responsibilities. For example: highways maintenance and speed limits are a County Council responsibility, bin collections are a District Council responsibility. The Parish Council can make representations to the other authorities, but if you are hoping that by becoming a Parish Councillor you’ll be able to reduce speed limits and reinstate weekly bin collections - that probably isn’t realistic.
Learn more
www.escrick.org/council/about/ has more details about the Parish Council, along with recent minutes/agendas, budget, and a lot of other background information.
Will I get paid?
No
Do I get elected? Do I need to be nominated?
Generally no. If, as is often the case, there are enough vacancies for all interested parties, then you simply need to express an interest, and usually we can co-opt you onto the Council without an election. If there are more parties interested than vacancies, then slightly different processes apply. In the first instance notify the clerk (clerk@escrick.org) of your interest, and you will be asked to attend the next meeting.
I might be interested...
If you are not sure and would like to know a bit more - feel free to chat to an existing Councillor, or speak with the Chair (chair@escrick.org).