Your Council

Name	Position	Responsibilities	Related External Committees & Trusts	Contact
Mr Mike Ellicott	Chairman		ENPA Committee Member Exford Housing Trust Henry Leigh Trust	myraellicott@hotmail.com01643 831706
Mrs Kathryn Tucker		Planning Rep;Vice Chair of QE II Playing Field Mgmt Committee		01643 831213
Mr Jeremy Hickman		Highways		07870866256
Mrs Serena Colwill				07854 104913serenacolwill@hotmail.com
Mr Oliver Edwards	Vice-Chair			01643 831216
Mrs Joan Atkins		PC Representative on the Exford Memorial Hall Committee		01643 831564
Mr Simon Brown		Chair of QEII Playing Field Management Committee		07974 828988simonbrown286@googlemail.com

Mrs Sian Tedstone	Clerk	Responsible Finance Officer		clerk@exfordparishcouncil.org07852 813983

Mrs Frances Nicholson	Councillor, Somerset County Council	Dulverton & Exmoor	ENPA Committee Member	01398 341502
Mr Steven Pugsley	Councillor, West Somerset District Council	Exmoor Ward	ENPA Committee Member	01643 831598

What is a Parish Council?

Exford Parish Council is an elected corporate body of non-paid volunteers, plus a paid Clerk, and is a vital part of your community. Your Parish Council is a civil local authority which is the first or lowest tier of local government – and should be your first point of contact about a community issue. It is the level of government closest to the community, below the District Council (West Somerset) and then the County Council (Somerset). Exford Parish is part of the Greater Exmoor Ward, along with the parishes of Cutcombe, Exmoor and Withypool.

Most of the funds your Parish Council has to spend come from local taxes raised from our community – called the ‘precept’. The precept is the Parish Council’s share of the Council Tax, as collected by West Somerset Council. We will also campaign for the preservation and improvement of services and facilities. Where funds allow, your Parish Council will support local community activities and events.

Parish Councils have a variety of powers and duties, all of which impact directly on the community. We act on your behalf on matters of planning, highways, footpaths and bridleways, signage, traffic calming, drainage, verge maintenance, litter, provision and maintenance of public conveniences, public benches, the bus shelter, the village green and its community play area, the QE II playing field, general spending and crime prevention.

We will consult parishioners whenever it is deemed appropriate, but are always available to discuss any community issues.

The organisations that make the final decisions know that the Parish Council gives the best reflection of how a community feels about something, and its views will be taken very seriously.

Why become a Parish Councillor?

By being a Parish Councillor you can help your community change for the better as a result of decisions you have helped to make. Parish Councillors all have an active interest in their local community and a concern for it. It is an unpaid position. As a Parish Councillor you become someone your community will look to for advice, guidance, help and support.

Ordinary Parish Council elections take place every 4 years, usually in early May. A Parish Councillor therefore sits on the Council for a 4 year period, after which time they may stand for re-election. If a vacancy occurs in between the scheduled elections there may need to be an extra election.

To stand for a Parish Councillor you must:

Be at least 18 years old
Be a UK or Commonwealth citizen, or
Be a citizen of another Member State of the European Union

In addition, to stand for Exford Parish Council you must:

Be a registered elector of the Parish of Exford, or
For the whole of the previous 12 months have occupied (as owner or tenant) land or other premises in the parish, or
During the previous 12 months have worked in the Parish (as your principal or only place of work), or
For the whole of the previous 12 months lived in the Parish or within 3 miles of the Parish boundary

You may not become a Parish Councillor if:

You are a paid employee of the Parish Council
Within the previous 5 years you have been convicted of an offence and have been sentenced to not less than 3 months imprisonment (whether suspended or not) without the option of a fine
Within the previous 12 months you have been subject to a bankruptcy restrictions order or an interim order
You are subject to any enactment relating to corrupt or illegal practices

A Parish Councillor, as with all public service roles, should adhere to the seven Nolan Principles of Public Life: Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty and Leadership.