WITH THE DEADLINE approaching for nominations (Wednesday 27th March – see election notice) then it might be useful to signpost residents to some resources available about becoming a Town Councillor.
The first place to visit is the Hedon Town Council website – here you will find information on existing Councillors, the responsibilities of the council and past minutes and agendas.
ERNLLCA – the East Riding and North Lincolnshire Local Councils Association – have a booklet available to download on their website (PDF file) explaining the role of local parish and town councils; All about Local Councils which is informative.
This booklet suggests that the role of Councillor takes up about three hours a week, but there are some councillors who spend more time than this – and some less, but in the main, being a local councillor is an enjoyable way of contributing to your community and helping to make it a better place to live and work.
The table below published by Hedon Town Council (percentages ours – Editor) shows the level of commitment in terms of attendance at Hedon Town Council meetings.
MEMBER ATTENDANCE HEDON TOWN COUNCIL MARCH 2012 TO FEBRUARY 2013. TOTAL NUMBER OF MEETINGS TAKEN PLACE = 70
| Councillor | Meetings attended out of 70 | Percentage attended |
| G Thurston | 70 | 100% |
| A Marshall | 67 | 96% |
| J Dennis | 61 | 87% |
| J Lindop | 60 | 86% |
| D Thompson | 52 | 74% |
| B Goldspink | 51 | 73% |
| A Suggit | 51 | 73% |
| N Black | 50 | 71% |
| M Bryan | 50 | 71% |
| D Storr | 38 | 54% |
| S Jordan (resigned) | 33 | 47% |
| T Goldspink | 14 | 20% |
Further information on the election can be obtained from the Town Clerk, Hedon Town Hall on 01482 898428 (Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9.00am till 3.00pm) or the East Riding of Yorkshire Council Democratic Services Department on 01482 887700.
Another useful source of information about Local Government generally – albeit more of interest to those looking to serve as an East Riding Councillor – is the LGiU website (Local Government Information Unit).
Finally – an obvious source of information is the East Riding Council website: Elections and Voting.
For those that doubt my commitment. I do, do other things in the community as well as attend meetings, I , would say there is a lot more to it than just sitting pretty round a table and trying to feel important, and listening to one’s own voice. However I can agree that when the public do not know what all of us do, or the reasons why some of us did not attend, then I can see were some criticism may rise.
3 and a half years ago I set up the Hedon Youth Group because of my concerns with anti social behaviour. Although it is held on a Friday there is more to it than giving up a Friday. As I work at the large CO OP I sometimes been required to work. oh and less I forget may main absence last year was due to loosing both parents one if February the other July HOW INCONVENIENT !!
Regards
I completely agree with the above comments. I am extremely concerned that these “councillors” are able to continue when they do not show any commitment to even attend the meetings. How can they possibly make any informed decisions? What is the point of being a councillor if you are not going to be actively involved? Please step aside and let someone else with more motivation and commitment step up!
Those attendance figures are disgraceful. Surely only responsible people with a genuine interest and desire should be allowed to serve on Hedon Town Council. It seems to me that certain people just want to be seen with the title “Councillor” in front of their names but in reality have very little interest in the welfare of Hedon (hence the low attendance figures). If they can’t be bothered to attend the meetings then they should step down and be repaced by persons with a genuine regard for the town of Hedon and the people living there.
A Public Participation meeting will be held in the Town Hall Hedon on Thursday 25th July at 7.00pm. Residents and business owners of Hedon are invited to come along and speak directly to Council members on issues relating to the town of Hedon.
Hedon Town Council looks forward to welcoming you to the meeting to discuss your concerns.
I, too, have read with great concern that two Councillors – Tom Goldspink and Diane Storr have poor attendance records at Council Meetings and, therefore, have they fulfilled their role of Hedon Town Councillor? Have they been involved in the following main areas of the work of a Town Councillor:
Decision Making
Surely attendance at meetings is vital in order to discuss the best way forward for the people of Hedon and to be involved in making decisions where Councillors are constantly striving to improve on previous results.
Monitoring Results
If they are not at meetings, can Councillors T Goldspink and D Storr confidently say that decisions made by those attending lead to efficient and effective services for the people of Hedon?
Local Involvement
Do Coucillors T Goldspink and D Storr interact with local organisations and their constituents?
Are they able to show their commitment? If not, surely they have no option but to tender their resignation and leave vacancies for people who wish to work to improve the services and facilities for the people of Hedon.
I have just been looking at the Hedon town council attendances from March 2012 to Feb 2013 and was appalled at some of the attendance records, Tom Goldspink has attended only 14 out of 70 meetings, Dianne Storr has done a little better with attendances at 38 out of the 70. Whats the point of being a town Councillor if you are not attending meetings , at the other end of the scale well done Gordon Thurston who has attended all 70 meetings ,If you want to see how you have been represented the information is all available on the Hedon town council website.
These people should step down and open the door for people who are really interested in making a difference. How can they possibly be representing there constituents with such poor attendance records. There are many people wanting to get on the council Steve Gallant who was narrowly outvoted by our new Councillor Sarah Rommell in the recent elections id one that springs to mind.. I for one would like some explanation as to what is going on and how they are allowed to carry on like this.