Parish Councils are led by democratically elected councillors from the local community. Councillors decide on what services and projects the council will deliver for their community. As representatives of the first tier of local government and the closest to their communities, parish councillors are best placed to engage with their residents and find out what the real local issues are and how to overcome them.

The next scheduled elections for local councils in West Northamptonshire will be held in May 2025. Click this link to find out more: Local elections 2025 | West Northamptonshire Council

If you are passionate about your local community, then we need you. We need people from all backgrounds and experiences to put themselves forward to become a parish councillor.

Councillors make a huge difference to the quality of life of local people and how local issues are dealt with.

Do you, or someone you know, have what it takes to be a local councillor? Contact us and we will guide you though the process to stand for election on Moulton Parish Council.

The deadline for for candidates wishing to stand in the election to deliver their nomination papers to the Elections Authority; West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) is Wednesday 2nd April 2025 at 4pm.

You will need to be available to meet once a month and have time to receive and read various correspondence outside of these meetings. You may also be elected to represent the council on specific topics within the village that you are passionate about such as finance, highways or policing, bringing your skills and expertise to the council and our village. Councillors are not paid, but act in this role because they are passionate about the community and must abide by a local government code of conduct. Training to help you in your role is provided and paid for by the Council.

Once elected, parish councillors sit on the council for a maximum of four years. If they want to stay in the post, they can stand for re-election.

This does not mean that you have to stay for four years. If you find it's not for you, or you can no longer meet the commitment, you can stand down at any time.

Parish councils are the lowest tier in local government. Parish councils make all kinds of decisions on issues which affect the local community. Some of the common topics which the parish council are involved in are health and wellbeing, planning, and local facilities such as play areas and public open spaces.

Councillors are the voice for Moulton, investing their time to help shape its future, making it a successful, vibrant, and attractive place, where people want to live, work and visit. They are impartial, making decisions that they think are good for Moulton, rather than for themselves.

You will:

• Make decisions.
• Monitor what's going on.
• Get involved locally.

Moulton Parish Council's aim is to ensure the needs of all sections of the community are considered when the council makes decisions and allocates financial resources.

The council uses the democratic process; by voting on all the decisions it makes, so it can hopefully make the right choices for the community it serves.

The elected councillors meet regularly and make decisions about the direction of the council and the work it does for the community.

Each year they get a sum of money called a 'precept' collected through council tax, this money is to improve facilities and services for Moulton.

The council employ staff to manage the provision of services and facilities that are provided for the community. Such as organising events and activities, managing public open spaces and play areas, maintaining village assets such as bins and benches.

There are a number of useful skills which help councillors carry out their role. However, you will receive training and become more experienced and confident once elected.

Some useful skills for being a councillor include:

• IT literate and good communication skills
• passionate about your community
• partnership and team working
• being flexible, adaptable and open-minded

No, you don't have to be, Moulton Parish Council is apolitical, which means that they don't act on the interests of a political party but are acting within the interests of the local community, and most councillors sit as independent. If you would like to be a representative of a political party, you would need to contact them and go through their process.

If you are curious, why not come along to one of our Council Meetings, these are normally held on the first Tuesday of the month at 7.00pm, all the dates are available on our website here: Council Meeting Dates or email us at info@moultonnorthants-pc.gov.uk to arrange in informal chat or visit.

You can also read our business plan below.

We need people from all backgrounds and experiences who reflect the communities they serve to put themselves forward for election. You don't need any experience or special qualifications. Your life experience, everyday skills, passion and commitment to people and communities are vital, and it's important that councils reflect the local population.

To be a councillor you need to be:

• British or a citizen of the Commonwealth. You may also be eligible as a citizen of the European Union, however the criteria has changed now that the UK has left the European Union. Please check on the gov.uk website for advice about EU citizens' voting and candidacy rights in local elections.
• At least 18 years old.
• An elector of the local council; or in the past 12 months occupied land or other premises in the area the local council serves (as owner or tenant); or work in the area local council serves (as your principal or only place of work); or live within three miles of the local council boundary.

You can't be a councillor if you:

• Work for the council you want to be a councillor for, you can work for another local authority as long as you are not in a political restricted post.
• Are the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order or interim order.
• Have been sentenced to prison for three months or more (including suspended sentences) during the five years before election day.
• Have been convicted of a corrupt or illegal practice by an election court.
• Are subject to any relevant notification requirements, or a relevant order, in respect of a sexual offence.

Please read the full eligibility criteria here: Qualifications and disqualifications for standing for election | Electoral Commission. If you are in any doubt about whether you are eligible to stand as a councillor, you should contact the Electoral Services team at West Northamptonshire Council.

If you are interested in joining Moulton Parish Council and would like to stand for election you will need to complete a nomination form which you can download from the Electoral Commission website.

To become nominated as a candidate at a parish council election in England, you need to submit a completed set of nomination papers to the place fixed by the Returning Officer by 4pm, 19 working days before the poll. This date is Wednesday the 2nd April 2025. This deadline is set out in law and cannot be changed for any reason.

The start date from which you will be able to submit nomination papers, as well as the times and place for delivery, will be set out in the notice of election published by the local Returning Officer. This will be published on Friday 14th March 2025.

There are three nomination papers that you must submit to make your nomination valid:

• the nomination form
• a home address form
• your consent to nomination

Guidance for completing the nomination documents can be found here: The nomination form | Electoral Commission