Every four years, Parish Councils are required to hold an election for membership of the Council. This is the village’s opportunity to make changes, should they wish, to how the Parish Council is run. Villagers are actively encouraged to apply to join the Parish Council and ideally, all age groups and a wide demographic should be represented on the Council. Elections for Ambrosden were held in May 2023.
The Statement of Persons Nominated is available here and you can find information on who your Councillors are here.
A Parish Council is a vital part of any community and is the local authority responsible for making decisions on behalf of the people in the Parish and representing them in Parish matters such as planning.
Cherwell District Council and Oxfordshire County Council are the next level in the Council hierarchy.
What do Parish Councils do?
Parish Councils make all kinds of decisions and make representations to other local and national bodies, on issues that affect the local community: from working on Parish events, liaising with the Police and other services, liaising with the East West Rail team, creating an emergency plan, arranging the mowing of the road verges, and campaigning for and delivering better services and facilities, to commenting on planning applications and representing the Parish in meetings with assorted external bodies, working with the County Council on traffic matters and engaging with other local Parish Councils on matters that affect us all.
There are limited powers to make decisions, but Parish Councils do have the ability to negotiate with, and the power to influence, those other organisations that do make the final decisions.
For more information about the work of Parish Councils, please see The Good Councillors Guide
Who can become a Parish Councillor?
Any resident of Ambrosden who:
- has occupied as owner or tenant any land or other premises in the Parish area during the whole of the 12 months before the day of nomination and the day of election;
2. is at least 18 years old;
3. is a British citizen, an eligible Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of any other member state of the European Union
Also, you’d need to meet at least one of the following four qualifications:
- you are, and will continue to be, registered as a local government elector for the Parish in which you wish to stand from the day of your nomination onwards;
- your main or only place of work during the 12 months prior to the day of your nomination and the day of election has been in the parish/community area;
- you have lived in the Parish or within three miles of it during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination and the day of election;
- you have occupied as owner or tenant any land or other premises in the Parish during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination and the day of election.
How does the election process work?
There are seven seats on the Council, so if more than seven people stand there will be a ballot and the seven candidates with the most votes get elected.
All the information about standing in the Parish Council elections is available on the Electoral Commission website at https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/candidate-or-agent/parish-council-elections-england
Paper copies can also be obtained from the Clerk by emailing clerk@ambrosdenpc.org.uk
Any other queries should be directed to the Elections Team at Cherwell District Council – democracy@cherwell-dc-gov.uk or call 01295 221534.
All nomination papers should be hand delivered to the Elections Team at Bodicote House by appointment (01295 221534) between 10am and 4pm on weekdays from Tuesday 28 March 2023 to Tuesday 4 April 2023.