A person spec for prospective councillors whenever vacancies happen is available here.
The eligibility criteria to be a Parish Councillor are that you must be:
- British or a citizen of the Commonwealth or European Union.
- At least 18 years old.
- Registered to vote in the area or have lived, worked or owned property there for at least 12 months before an election.
You can’t be a councillor if you:
- Work for the council you want to be a councillor for, or for another local authority in a political restricted post.
- Are the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order or interim order.
- Have been sentenced to prison for three months or more (including suspended sentences) during the 5 years before election day.
- Have been convicted of a corrupt or illegal practice by an election court.
- Are subject to the notification requirement of or under Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
You may be disqualified following a conviction under the Localism Act 2011.
Further details available on the Electoral Commission’s website www.electoralcommission.org.uk
The Parish Council’s Co-option-Policy-2024 has details of the co-option process.
For a summary of the roles and responsibilities of a parish councillor and an introduction to the work of the Parish Council, take a look around www.goringparishcouncil.gov.uk or discuss with the clerk or any councillor.
If no election is called, the vacancy will be filled by co-option, full details on the co-option process are available from the Clerk.
External guidance:
In July 2022 the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) published a Legal Technical Note – LTN8 Elections and Co-option.
In December 2020 the Oxfordshire Association of Local Council (OALC) published a good practise note OALC Guidance Note: Procedure for filling a casual vacancy.