for Ampthill in 2007
If you are going to stand for election nomination papers are now available from Ampthill Town Council & must be submitted to the Electoral Services at Mid Beds District Council by Noon of April 4th!
Town Council Election Day: Thursday 3rd May 2007
Download:
Standing for Ampthill Town Council Information Sheet
Quotes from the Ampthill Today Forum Website:
"The Town Council seem to have a lot of looking into things to do - what exactly have they been doing up until now? Not a great deal one assumes. They do get money from us Council Tax payers - via MBDC - so maybe we should take more interest in their ditherings"
"Ampthill is a lovely town, there are some lovely people here, we have some wonderful things of which to be rightly proud; but we need people to lead us, someone with a heart for the community who shares our hopes and dreams for Ampthill to become the place we all want it to be. I am totally against the supermarket and look forward to seeing all the moans and groans on here when it takes everyone ages to get through Ampthill in the mornings! It is bad enough now. I am a regular user of most shops in Ampthill, but I will not be using Waitrose at all. In fact we do not want to live somewhere where there is a big supermarket. Can see all the kid's hanging around there already. Think we are going to sell up and move somewhere nicer now!"
"C'mon Town Council - try to remember you are meant to be the Ampthill Town Council not the Waitrose Town Council. If you want the market in the Waitrose car park - just tell them that is what you want and mention you will be splashing in the local press if Waitrose turn you down - not the kind of PR Waitrose will want before opening I guess. Alternatively, if you want to kill the market (as some suspect you do) then get on with it. Either way - display some intestinal fortitude (as the Americans annoyingly say) and make a decision before all the stallholders disappear and the decision is taken out of your hands"
"Wannabe Town Councillor turns up on my doorstep - although this has never happened in my time in Ampthill - anyway he or she seems a trustworthy person with the right ideas - so I vote for them at the next Town Council election. Then along come Centre Parcs or some other major scheme and Mark or a.n. other decides this is a great idea, whilst me and a good few of the other people who voted for him, perhaps don't regard it as a great idea - so what happens next. Mark gives his support to the scheme and if it is approved what comeback do the voters who supported him have. I'm sure Mark would say we could vote him out at the next election, but by then it may be too late - Centre Parcs or whatever the scheme will have already been approved. That is hardly democratic. I think the budding politicians of this world need to recognise that just being elected is not sufficient consultation with people - there needs to be a transparent and wide-ranging consultation process (not just a couple of meetings that exclude people) - do some doorstepping, texting etc. etc. Especially if there was no election in the first place. Rant over - but politicians at all levels do have one thing in common - they do seem so self-righteous"
"The Supermarket development is a good example a few years ago we know that there was a planning app for a large shop which was approved by the DC, it was voted in by elected Councillors from all over the district even though it seemed to the local Ampthill electorate were opposed. It was only really by luck that the TC had land they they were able to stop it as far as I am aware, they did not have any other powers to stop it. So maybe the TC should be responsible for more, or at least have more say which counted".
I'd prefer to see the local knowledge Town Councils have backed up with real power to change things. 3 tiers of local government is too much in my opinion, and I would prefer to see District and County merged into a Unitary authority, with more power for local decision making at town and parish level.
"There is no point in voting because each person is as bad as the next"
"Blame APATHY back in 2003 & probably 2007!!! [Quote from M. Smith] So the non-voters are responsible for the poor councillors? However they are elected the councillors should canvass the opinion of their constituents"
To Stand or not to Stand, that is the question!
Do you share the sentiments expressed above? Whether you do or don't, why not consider standing as a Town Councillor on Thursday 3 May 2007!
Getting into local politics is not the 'dirty' exercise that much of the media would have you believe. It can be extremely rewarding, in terms of the 'feel good factor' of serving your local community. If you ask most people that enter local politics, they do it to make a difference and not for personal gain.
However, the past two elections for Ampthill Town Council, in 1999 and 2003, saw only 11 people stand for the 12 places, which meant those people became councillors without facing an election. This was not uncommon across the whole of Mid Bedfordshire. Therefore as a result it could be argued that by been apathetic about who represents you, you risk finding that you are represented by small minded, self serving, opinionated individuals, who are largely responsible for bringing 'politics' into disrepute. Certainly, a few town & parish councils in Mid Beds have just those sort of individuals on their councils, as part of the great unelected set of people that represent us! So don't just moan about Your Town Council, do something about it next time and 'Get Involved'!
Elections take place on a regular basis for the various tiers of local government. So why not consider standing at the next elections for Ampthill Town Council (Thursday 3 May 2007), Mid Beds District Council (Thursday 3 May 2007 ), Beds County Council (May 2009) or for the Parliamentary Seat of Mid Bedfordshire (probably 2009/10).
You could join one of the branches of the local political parties: Mid Beds Labour Party, Mid Beds Liberal Democrat Party, Mid Beds Conservative Party or you might consider standing as an independent candidate. If you want to become a Politically independent Councillor, you can find advice on the Politically Independent Candidate Website.
For more details on local government in Ampthill and in Mid Bedfordshire, click here.
What does Ampthill Town Council do?
Town Councils are the democratic bodies with the closest links to their communities. Town Councils are the first tier of Local Government. In addition to providing some services themselves, Town Councils can make a vital contribution toward the priorities contained within the community strategies, which are prepared, by the District and County Councils.
Ampthill Town Council:
Examples of the types of services which Ampthill Town Council provide are:-
allotments
car parks
cemeteries
footpaths and bridleways
market
street lighting
town halls
The Town Council makes decisions at meetings, which are open to the public and press. Members of the public have an opportunity to address the council for up to 3 minutes prior to each meeting. At present Full Town Council Meetings take place once a month on the third Wednesday of the month, with the Finance/General Purposes and Parks Committees taking place on the alternate first Wednesdays of each month. Planning meetings generally also take place on Wednesday nights, as and when there are sufficient planning applications to consider. All these meetings begin at 7.30pm. The duration of such meetings depends upon the amount of business that has to be dealt with at each meeting.
The Clerk to the Town Council will be able to provide more details about how the Town Council is organised and will be able to give you some indication as to the time involved in being a councillor. Contact Dawn Sutherns on 01525 404355 or email d.sutherns@ampthilltowncouncil.org.uk.
The Next Elections
Elections for all Town and Parish Councils in Mid Bedfordshire are due to be held on Thursday 3rd May 2007 when Councillors will be elected to serve for the next four years.
Qualifications for Candidates
To stand as a candidate for election to a Town or Parish Council you must: -
be 18 years of age on the day you are nominated as a candidate and
be included on the register of electors for the Town or Parish, or
have owned or occupied land or premises within the Town or Parish for a year prior to being nominated, or
have worked within the Town or Parish for a year prior to being nominated, or
have lived within the Town or Parish for a year prior to being nominated, or
have lived within three miles of the Town or Parish for a year prior to being nominated.
In addition you will require the signatures of 2 other registered electors on your nomination papers.
There is no fee involved for standing for the Town Council.
The Election Process
The first stage of the election process is the publication of the Notice of Election, which will be on notified by the Returning Officer for the District. The Notice of Election invites any person who wishes to stand as a candidate to submit nomination papers to the Returning Officer at Mid Beds District Council.
This can seem quite bewildering, so the Returning Officer issues guidance notes for candidates with each set of nomination papers. The notes are designed to help those who have no previous experience of being a candidate as well as those who have. The guidance notes are essential for all candidates, as there may have been changes in election law since the last election. The guidance notes cover election expenses. This is the money spent by the candidate in providing any leaflets or other material to introduce themselves to the electors. This money may not be reclaimed, the candidate or their supporters must meet such costs themselves and there is a limit as to the maximum amount that may be spent. Every candidate must make a return and declaration of the amount of their election expenses. Invoices and receipts must accompany the return, so it is a good idea to keep records of any expenditure during the election campaign. Not all candidates at Town and Parish elections incur election expenses, in which case a nil return and declaration should be made.
For More Details
Electoral Services Team: Contact the Electoral Services Team at Mid Beds District Council for more information on 01462 611231 or email electoral.services@midbeds.gov.uk or write to Electoral Registration, Mid Beds District Council, Priory House, Monks Walk, Chicksands, Shefford, SG17 5TQ. Stephen Cooke will be pleased to guide you through all the paper work that is involved in standing for election.
Visit the Electoral Services Pages of the District Council's Website for the latest information about the upcoming Town Council & District Council Elections.
Ampthill Town Council: Alternative contact the Clerk at Ampthill Town Council Clerk on 01525 404355 or e-mail the clerk at d.sutherns@ampthilltowncouncil.org.uk for more information.
Existing Town Councillors: speak to one of the existing Town Councillors to find what it entails.
What Happens After The Election
All candidates who are elected are required to sign various documents before they take up their duties. The first document is a Declaration of Acceptance of Office. In signing this declaration the councillor agrees to be bound by a National Code of Conduct. In addition each newly elected town councillor must also make a declaration of interests, these include employment or business interests, property ownership and other matters which may be seen to have a bearing on the way in which a member of a town or parish council would vote. The declaration is retained by the parish clerk and is open to inspection by any local elector.
Download:
Standing for Ampthill Town Council Information Sheet
Lets ensure there is a Town Council Election on Thursday 3rd May 2007 for the first time in 12 years!
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