INVITATION to learn more about your Council and the role of a Parish Councillor
GRAYSHOTT PARISH COUNCIL INVITES RESIDENTS AND BUSINESS OWNERS to an informal session about the work of the Council, the role of Parish Councillor and how to stand in the May elections.
March 13th at 7.30pm or March 21st at 6.30pm
Both to be held in the Council Office, Sports Pavilion, Beech Hanger Road GU26 6LS. Please get in touch to reserve your space.
The Council is urging enthusiastic and engaged members of the community who want to make a long-lasting change, have innovative ideas or have concerns about a specific issue to stand as councillors for the opportunity to make a real difference. The work Grayshott Parish Council does is exciting and rewarding. An integral part of a councillor’s role is engaging with local people, groups, and businesses to determine their needs, making decisions on the services and projects the council should take forward, and getting involved to ensure services meet the community’s needs.
These are the words of one of our current Councillors, Dennis Homer
Being a Grayshott Parish Councillor
“To me it is important that we act as custodians of the village and its way of life and I as a Councillor I will try to maintain the many positive attributes of our unique village whilst being open to embracing new ideas and ways of doing things.”
I have been a Grayshott Parish Councillor since July 2022. The time has gone quickly, and I can honestly say that although it has been a steep learning curve I have greatly enjoyed it.
The way that the Parish Council is run enables Councillors to add value and contribute.
From the start I joined the Planning & Conservation Committee which formally considers planning applications which fall within Grayshott. The Planning Committee comments on all applications as a statutory consultee which means the residents of Grayshott are represented through the Parish Council. This is an important function and is a duty that Councillors take very seriously. The ability to influence planning decisions is fundamental to local Government.
However, there is more to being a Parish Councillor than just planning. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of initiatives that are currently underway. There is no pressure to take part in them all but there will be some that suit a person’s individual skills. Currently I am actively involved with the Dementia awareness initiative which seeks to engage with those living with Dementia by means of informal coffee mornings. These have been a great success and are supported by external organisations like the local GP surgery.
There is an ongoing initiative to maintain safe roads and pavements through actual surveys of pavements and local consultations. Obviously, the pressure road traffic is putting on the village is an ongoing area which the Parish Council is actively involved with together with the Highways Authority.
The Parish Council also owns various assets which it manages. These include the various green spaces, play areas, Village Square, recreation ground and pavilion where the Council Offices are located. Councillors are involved with the management of these assets either directly or through various management committees. The work is spread out between the ten Councillors.
The Parish Council also organises Village events. I have been involved with the Christmas Late Night opening and Market, the Christmas Lights switch on and we are currently planning a Music Festival in the Village Centre as a part of the Coronation celebrations.
There is a lot going on in the Village and the Parish Council is at the heart of things. Being a Councillor enables a person to actively participate and to make a positive contribution. Continuity and the majority of the real work is carried out by our Parish Clerk and assistant Clerk. They have been very supportive and helpful to me and have made the role of Parish Councillor personally very rewarding.
Dennis Homer
Parish Councillor
