The Parish Council meeting scheduled for the 28th November has had to be cancelled. A Parish Council has to have at least four councillors to form a quorum, which is the minimum necessary to vote. If there are not four councillors present at the Council Meeting, it cannot go ahead. Unfortunately, Clopton Parish Council has been reduced to four councillors, following the recent retirement of two members, and there are not enough councillors to make a quorum if even one of them is unable to attend a meeting.
There are presently three Councillor vacancies on Clopton Parish Council for which anyone interested is encouraged to apply, subject to certain conditions being met. In simple terms, these conditions are that you must be a citizen of Great Britain, the Commonwealth or the EU, that you are a least 18 years old, that you have lived in or within 3 miles of Clopton Parish for the last 12 months continuously and that you have not been convicted of any offence nor been in prison within the last 5 years, nor are the subject of a bankruptcy order. The appointment is up to 4 years at a time.
The Parish Council is the first tier of local government and contributes to the work of local councils, which are becoming increasingly significant under the government’s localism initiatives. It represents the village in discussions with the District and County Council, and supports local action and work in conjunction with voluntary groups and organisations for the benefit of the overall community, based on local knowledge and experience.
There are 6 evening meetings per year which last for around 2 hours.
If you are interested in taking an active role in village affairs to make a difference by becoming a Parish Councillor, please contact the Chairman, Chris Angwin (01473-735453), or the Parish Clerk, Esther Brown (07789-538430), either of whom will be pleased to answer your questions and to send you a copy of the Good Councillor’s Guide, which explains the role and responsibilities in detail.