Eynsham Parish Council was thrilled by a recent flurry of interest in becoming a Councillor. In the past six months we’ve had one returnee and four new joiners, swelling our Councillor numbers and improving the discussions we have and the decisions we make, helping us achieve more for the community.
Why is more better?
It’s been long-established that a more diverse team makes better decisions and is more productive. When we have more people on the Council, we automatically have greater diversity. This is additionally important for a Parish Council because we aim to represent the views of a diverse community.
Having more Councillors also helps us on a more basic level. We have more people available to undertake tasks such as putting up the Christmas lights, running a traffic survey, or helping with maintenance at the Fishponds. It really is the more the merrier!
Why didn’t we have elections?
We’ve had vacancies since the local elections in 2023. This permits us to co-opt new candidates to join the Council for the remainder of the Council term (until 2027) without holding an election. (More details on vacancies and co-option is available here: Vacancies and co-option
This doesn’t mean we don’t scrutinise co-option candidates and discuss their suitability before their application is voted on at a full Council meeting. All applicants complete an application form and must meet the eligibility criteria. They are interviewed and attend a full Council meeting so we can meet them before they are co-opted. It’s straight-forward, but it follows due process.
Importantly, all our Councillors are bound by our Code of Conduct, which can be found on our website. We require all Councillors to uphold the highest standards of behaviour and treat all members of the community with respect and dignity. There is no tolerance for anyone who contravenes our Code of Conduct.
Interested in how it all works?
You don’t have to be a Councillor to get closer to the process of local governance. Members of the public are always welcome to our meetings, both the committees and the full Council meeting. These take place on Tuesday evenings at the Village Hall, with dates and details available via our Meetings Calendar.
Agendas for the meeting will be posted online in the day before so interested residents can see what will be discussed. The agendas also contain a link to join the meeting online, so you don’t even have to leave the house to get involved!
Keep an eye on this website to find out more about our new Councillors in their Q&As.