What do you want to hear from your local councillor??

[confussedmisfit]

Just after a little advice, maybe a bit of a sounding board etc.

Last local election our village parish council was non contested.
Resulting in the same older, white, all male, lived in the village for 20 thousand years, we don't want change here, etc etc etc people getting in and having a say on how the village will be shaped for the next four years.

So I decided to do something about it. (I can see a slight irony in me being a 30 something, white, privileged male) and I put my name up for the remaining available seat. We have 9 seats of which only 8 are full.

It should be an automatic seat, however I've been informed three others have also put their hat in the ring.

So tomorrow night we each have to make our case as to what we can bring to the parish council for the current members to choose who gets in.

The obvious problem is I want change in the village.
We're 2177 current population, and are a very desirable village, and I can see change is coming, with new houses, new businesses, new amenitys all coming. Including a planning permission recently submitted for 77 houses.
I want to embrace the change and make sure the village gets the best from it, affordable houses, better school transport, wider paths, a larger park, and top of my list, a youth center.
This seems to be supported by a lot of people in the village, particularly the young families. My two DC attend the local primary school and my wife's runs the local toddler group. And they're all very keen for me to do this.

But how do I get the old guard to elect me if what I wish to do is then oppose their thoughts??

Any ideas, thoughts and anything you can say to help if love to hear.

Sorry for a long, boring (to some/many ) thread.

Problems of the well off in rich villages.......
You can't really change the 'old boy set in their ways 'club unfortunately, especially if it's 'how it's always been done here' ......

Ours is an 18 year old Conservative. We’ve heard nothing from him and happy for it to stay that way.

I would expect concrete information about how exactly you plan on funding the things you want.

I'd want to know what you know about all the proposed changes, and why you are accepting they will happen rather than opposing them. The key bit for me would be how you are planning on making sure the developers listen to you and don't just pay lip service to the concerns of the residents.

Specific, but I’d like to see drastic change about how women are treated, including the dismissal of the dinosaurs responsible for this:
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/council-boss-sexism-quit-stratford-isabel-edgar-briancon-a8947096.html

So I suppose, more generally, show support for those who don’t currently have a voice on your council: ie women and monorities. A good start would be to read and consider Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez as a look at how policies often inadvertently disadvantage women.

Who votes in the election - the old duffers or all in the parish? If the latter, you just need to get the school gate parents on side and voting for you. Fill that niche.

Also, the book I recommended has specific examples of the inadvertent effect of development on women and families. With stats and evidence. Really really recommend if you’re planning on talking about housing development, transport and new amenities in your area

At the time of the local election we had leaflets from two parties.

One talked about how he'd talked to lots of local residents and he understood everyone was very, very worried about hedge trimming.

The other one talked about how appalled he was that the foodbank he'd set up had a record number of customers, about ensuring safe road crossings and something else definitely more life and death than sodding bloody hedge trimming.

You need to say something about how to make the changes work for the village as it is now, not as it was. Talk about doctors and school places.

It's the current parish councillors who get the vote on who joins them for the next four years.
Then it'll be local Elections again, when all residents vote.

So I need to get past the old guard to get in this term.

As for how would I pay for amenities/not just lip service.

My thinking is not to oppose the inevitable just out of hand, like myself and a lot of others feel is being done, but instead to look at proposals and actually have a dialogue with the proprietors and see what we can get from them before we support their plans. (Or reject if it's still not right).

Just opposing EVERYTHING from the off, even though something's are needed and will happen, just seems so counter productive.

more life and death than sodding bloody hedge trimming

Think of the hedge trimming....won't someone please think about the hedges

Could you go for "I'm opposed to this but I think we have to have a back up plan as they will keep pushing to get it through" or would that be completely at odds with your views?

View from inside the system:

Can you show you have an understanding of the roles, duties and responsibilities of a Parish Councillor?
That you know the extent and limits of Parish Council powers?
That you have a knowledge of how your Council works? Have you been to Council meetings? Read the minutes?
Do you know the precept and Council income streams?
Is there a Local Plan?

Did you have to complete a co-option form? If not, take a copy of your "speech" to hand to the Clerk.
Are you speaking at an open meeting? If so, remember that you are speaking to the Council, but the Council have a duty to co-opt the most suitable person for the role, and have to be seen by the public to be doing this.
Is there an area of expertise that the Council is lacking, which you could fill?
Are you prepared to commit to attending the Council meetings? - remember you are summonsed to these, not invited!
Are you prepared to go to training? Do you know what training is available?

ihatecobwebs

What a great reply.
It's made me change my speech completely.

Remembering it's a public forum, except the final where the current councillors cast their vote, is something I can and will use to my advantage.

It can often get quite heated at the monthly meeting between the councillors and the villager's.

So going in with something along the lines of
"My opinion will sometimes differ from a lot of yours, or at least the preseption each of you gives off, however it resonates with a lot of people and families that we are here to represent"

Leading along those lines it could be difficult for them not to choose me if the other two that have put themselves forward are just copies of who's already there.

It's possible a risky strategy going in from the off saying I don't like the current set up, and it could make some enemies on the inside from the off, but it keeps my integrity intact of just saying what they wish to hear.

Thank you for all your suggestions.

I know it's only local politics, but it's all got to start somewhere.

Fingers crossed.

His resignation. His opposition to Boris Johnson being Tory leader.

Ex Parish Councillor here

I was the youngest by 3 decades, and one of only two females.

They were all VERY old school. However, I sort of found my niche as I have young children and could provide input on current issues around childrens services, schools, parks etc. That seemed to be respected.

I wouldn't focus so much on what you want to change at the moment. Show what you can offer (what your interests are, how commited you are to represent Parishioners) and go from there.

Once you are in, that's the time to start kicking arse.

That he's not my racist, sexist, pervy FIL,

Oh no, hang on...