Call for residents to step forward to fill three vacancies on Stansted Parish Council

Three vacancies on Stansted Parish Council have prompted an appeal for new members.

Following the resignations of councillors Lois Prior and Sanjukta Ghosh in recent months and an opening that remained unfilled following the May 2023 local elections, villagers are being encouraged to put themselves forward.

Council chair Maureen Caton said that the “overriding” requirement was for candidates to have an interest in their community.

“The politics is not important when you’re sitting and discussing what’s best for the community,” she told the Indie this week.

“It’s because you have an interest in the community – that’s the overriding thing we need.

“If people are interested we can help them understand the legalities around the role, the regulations and policies.

“We can take them through training with the EALC (Essex Association of Local Councils) and we can provide them with a councillor as a mentor, so there is lots of support a new councillor can have.”

Cllr Caton hoped young adults – anyone over 18 can apply to be a parish councillor – would step forward. “One of the reasons we have a youth council is so that we can build them up for the future,” she said.

Sanjukta Ghosh was the most recent to step down from the parish council as she has now moved away, while Lois Prior, who joined in October 2021, resigned in March, citing “other commitments”, but later revealed the position was “no longer for me”.

The closing date for applications is May 21. Any new members will be co-opted onto the council at its meeting on May 28.

All three vacancies are in the parish’s south ward, but candidates can live anywhere in the village.

A spokesman said that the parish council was the first tier of local government and played an important part in maintaining and improving local services and facilities for the benefit of the community.

A councillor’s main role is to represent the views of all residents. The council has responsibility for running some public services, although it is expected to take on more in the Government’s proposed shake-up of local government.

It decides and sets a budget and how much money to raise via council tax, and has an important role in shaping and influencing the long-term development policy for the village.

The full council meets every three weeks, with the main committees meeting every six weeks.

Cllr Caton said the role required dedication and commitment. “It’s quite time-consuming for people and I can see why in this day and age people shy away from it, but we do need a commitment and it does take up your time and resources, but you are ultimately giving back to the community.”

For details on how to apply, visit Stansted Parish Council’s website at www.stansted mountfitchet-pc.gov.uk.