Councillors
The parish is divided into areas called Wards. Gnosall has three wards; Gnosall, Knightley and Moreton. Each ward is represented by a number of Parish Councillors in relation to the population in that ward. There are 12 Parish Councillors in Gnosall, three in Moreton and one for Knightley.
If a resident of Gnosall wishes to bring a matter to the attention of the Parish Council there are several options available to them:
By contacting one of their Ward Parish Councillors who will endeavour to answer any questions the resident may have or alternatively put the query in front of the Parish Council on behalf of the resident.
By contacting the Parish Council's office, via telephone, letter or email.
By putting the question to a Parish Council Meeting, at which an agenda item is set aside as an Open Forum for Members of the Public.
Parish Councillors come from all walks of life and are democratically elected every four years at the Local Government Elections - although from time to time Parish Council seats may need to be filled within the term of office.
Standing for election
Local councils can only be as helpful, connected and energetic as the people elected to run them, so we need councillors capable, enthusiastic and engaged to reflect their communities. You can find out more about becoming a councillor on The Electoral Commission and Local Government Association website. There are three ways that you can become a councillor; standing for election, filling a vacant seat after an election (co-opted) or filling a casual vacancy.
There are six simple steps to becoming a councillor:
- Check for elections in your area by emailing your elections officer
- Submit your nomination to the returning officer — find out more about the process.
- Wait for your nomination to be accepted
- Your nomination is made public by the principal authority
- Start your elections campaign
- Polling day — find your polling station
Vacancies after an election (co-option)
If, after an election, there are some unfilled seats, the local council should take steps to fill any vacancies by making co-options within 35 days (not counting weekends and public holidays). However, if the council does not have enough elected members to be a quorum (meaning at least one-third of the council must be elected or three members, whichever is greater), the electoral returning officer must run a by-election to fill the remaining places.
What does a candidate need to do?
- Check with their electoral returning officer if there is a vacancy near you
- Put yourself forward for co-option
- The council may ask you for a CV or invite you for an interview
- The council will choose their co-opted councillor
Casual vacancy
A casual vacancy is a seat that becomes available between elections, which may occur for several different reasons, such as a councillor resigning, becoming disqualified (by committing an offence) or not attending any meetings in six months.
The council clerk will declare the vacancy by posting a note within the parish and notifying the electoral returning officer.
This notice will also confirm that a by-election will be held if at least ten electors request it within 14 days (not including weekends and public holidays). If there is no demand for a by-election, the council will fill the vacancy by co-option.