Anyone a Parish Councillor?What do they do?

[Mirage]

I was asked today if I'd consider becoming the Parish Councillor for my village.I said that I'd think about it as I have no idea what they do & what the responsibilities would be.

I am a bit surprised that I was suggested,I always thought that becoming a PC was a 'grown up' thing to do.

Does anyone have any experience or know how time consuming it would be?I run my own business & am trying to renovate a house whilst looking after the dd's who are 3 & 16 months.Would I be insane to take any more on?Would I be besieged by busyybodies wanting me to sort out their problems?

Thanks

All the parish councillors I have come into contact with were wittering, nosy, self-important old men with nothing better to do.

They were all retired, and I think the position is quite time consuming.

Actually, there was once a woman councillor, and she was elected because she had been the clerk, and no-one else wanted to be councillor. She gave it up after a year as she was fed up of arguments over who should cut the trees that overhung the village green.

There were definitely shades of 'The Vicar of Dibley', but the whole village was a bit odd!

Good luck if you decide to take on the role - maybe you could smash the stereotype!

I'm a parish councillir. We have a full council meeting once a month, and I'm on two subcommittees that meet about once every six weeks. There are some who can do things in the daytime, but I say I can't as I have dd. I've not been besieged yet. People do know I'm on it and sometimes raise some issues, but it's not overwhelming.

Yes, some of the stuff sometimes seems a bit trivial. Bins and grass cutting etc. But it's the little things that can set the tone of a place I think. I like living in our village. I want to keep it a good place to live for young families like mine. So I have my say.

If it's anything like our village, you will be expected to do whatever the farmers want you to do, even if it means changing a road layout so they can get their tractors (and so every HGV in the area) to come thundering down the High St.

I would dearly love for someone like you or becky to be on our Parish Council but the last guy to try to get elected (as opposed to thsoe who are 'invited' on) was the victim of a dirty tricks campaign and I'm certainly not up for giving it a go.

Both mine and dps parents have spent time on parish councils.

Most policy making at meetings and deciding on things for the church. There was an option to take on extra work if you had time/were willing to but not necessary.

Policy things like:
Whether or not to accept female vicars
What money was to be spent on
Also things like repairs, fetes that kinda thing. WHo was organising stuff.

Everybody I knew enjoyed it and enjoyed helping their church and being part of the community in that way.

Also had piss ups and stuff like that.

Were some stuffy, very set in their way members, but definately not in the majority .

I think that's a PCC Ilovecaboose, not a parish council. We have nothing to do with the church.

me getting confused again.

ilovecaboose, were your parents parish councillors, or members of the PCC (parochial church council)?

I think they are different things.

sorry - x posted.

This really annoys me about the Vicar of Dibley, they have one council taking both church and vilalge decisions, whereas in reality there would be a Parish Council doing the dog poo and footpaths and the PCC (Parochial Church Council) sortying out the toilets in the vestry and WW3 over whether to replace the pews with chairs and stuff.

at the typos!

Thanks for the input everyone.I'm going to think about it for a while.I live in a very small village & don't want it to get spoilt like a lot of places have been.I also think that its no good moaning if you want to change things,you need to do something about it,so from that point of view would probably go for it.The only thing that puts me off,is that our village is a bit feudal & 'vicar of dibly' so I can imagine getting peoples backs up if I say what I think

I have been wondering why I was asked & come to the conclusion that it might be because when we had an antisocial behaviour problem in the spring,everyone moaned about it,but I was the only one to do something about it & put a stop to it.That,or the fact that I come from the biggest farming family locally..