Parish Elections - Thursday 4th May 2023
Becoming a Parish Councillor​
Are you interested in being a Parish Councillor. Do you want to contribute to the community and make a difference?
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The Parish Council is made up of 7 people who live in either Deopham or Hackford. The Parish Council is not warded which means that Councillors can come from either Parish, there is no requirement to have a certain number from each Parish.
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Elections take place every 4 years, every position on the Council is available for re-election. Any current Councillors wishing to re-stand for a further 4 years have to submit their nomination. Nominations are open to any member of the public meeting the eligibility criteria for a Parish Councillor therefore if you are interested in joining the Council please complete and submit your nomination forms.
All nominations and the elections are run directly by South Norfolk Council. Please do not submit any nomination forms directly to the Parish Council.
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Full details on the elections, including copies of the election nomination forms are available via South Norfolk Council.
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Nominations for these elections will open on Friday 17 March 2023 and close at 4pm on Tuesday 4 April 2023. Completed nominations for the elections must be hand delivered to;
Horizon Centre (annex)
Peachman Way
Norwich
NR7 0WF
between the hours of 9am and 4pm on any working day (Monday-Friday) before the deadline.
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If there are less nominations than places on the Council then all those nominated automatically become Parish Councillors. If there are more than 7 nominations then voters will be able to vote for their chosen nominees. All successful candidates will take up their role following the election in May. The Council will hold its Annual Parish Council Meeting on Wednesday 10th May at 7.30pm at Gralix Hall where all new Councillors will be welcomed to attend. Any current Councillor wishing to stand down will remain in role until the elections.
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Voters
Please note that this year all those voting in person will have to have Voter ID. Full details are available on the South Norfolk Council website under the Voter ID section.
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The Role of a Councillor
A councillor is a member of the council and is normally elected for a term of four years. People of any political or religious persuasion are eligible to become a councillor, although their personal views should not extend into their parish council work. A councillor is an unpaid voluntary role.
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They are elected to represent the interests of the local community as a whole and promote a harmonious local environment. The number of elected councillors depends on the size of the area. In Deopham & Hackford we are able to have 7 councillors.
Local councils are the first tier of governance and are the first point of contact for anyone concerned with a community issue. They are democratically elected local authorities and exist in England, Wales and Scotland. The term ‘local council’ is synonymous with ‘parish council’, ‘town council’ and ‘community council’.
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Each Council will have responsibilities individual to their circumstances. At Deopham and Hackford the Council runs Deopham Playing Field, including the Pavilion, football pitch and the current Play Park Project to install new play equipment and a car park.
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The Council also submits comments to planning applications, maintains village assets such as dog bins, the village sign and noticeboards. The Council works closely with the district and county councillors. Explore the Council website to find out more about what the Council gets up to.