A parish council is the first tier of local government. The parish of Cawthorne is in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley.

There are nine seats on the parish council with the councillors being elected from the local community.

Parish Council meetings are held in the Moxon Room, Cawthorne Village Hall, Tivy Dale, Cawthorne on the first Thursday of the month.

Cawthorne Parish Council owns the cemetery, the Orchard play area and The Peace Garden. It also provides the village litter bins, dog litter bins and bus shelters.

The parish council is not responsible for the maintenance of footpaths, roads, road signs, the village green and roadside verges; these are all the responsibility of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council.

Who can become a parish councillor?

 

You must be over the age of 18 and either

·         are on the electoral roll for the parish of Cawthorne

or

·         during the whole of the past twelve months have occupied as owner or tenant of any land or other premises in the parish

or

·         during the whole the past twelve months had your principal or only place or work in the parish

or

·         during the whole the past twelve months resided in the parish or within three miles of it

 

What does a council and councillors do?

Councillors play a vital part in representing the interests of their local community and improving the quality of life and the local environment. They bring local issues to the attention of the council and help it make decisions on behalf of the local community. They can influence other decision makers and may deliver services to meet the local needs.

Parliament has granted powers to parish councils to raise money through the precept and to spend public money, although it can only spend it where it has legal powers to do so.

 

Responsibility and obligations of a councillor

You must;

• Attend council meetings, usually held on the first Thursday of the month in the Moxon Room, Cawthorne village hall at 7.30pm.
• Agree to abide by the Council’s code of conduct (act with integrity etc.)
• Declare pecuniary and other interests (pecuniary interests include property owned, employment; other interests includes membership of a trade union, involvement in an organisation in the village) which will be displayed on Barnsley Council’s and Cawthorne Parish Council’s websites. A councillor cannot take part in the discussion and vote on any item on which he has had to declare an interest in.
• Represent the whole electorate

 

You may also wish to sit on one or more of the committees that Cawthorne Parish Council has - Planning, which involves making comment on planning applications, Budget and Finance which involves setting the budget and recommending the precept level, Staffing which deals with all staffing matter, and Cemetery which deals with the cemetery and closed churchyard.

 

If you wish to know more or discuss anything, please contact the parish council clerk or speak to one of the existing councillors.