About the Council

 Cheveley Parish Council

The council has eleven elected members representing two wards; South Ward (six members) covering the village of Cheveley and North Ward (five members) covering the Newmarket Fringe area between Duchess Drive and Ashley Road.

Cheveley Parish Council employs a Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer (RFO) on a part time basis providing advice to Council in respect of legislation and procedure and who is responsible for the day to day functioning of the Council. Just a Secretary??????? You decide-To find out more about your Clerk's roles and duties are please click here and for the Clerk's typical work (monthly) calendar please click here .

Parish councils are the first tier of local government and perform an important role as the councillors who must live or work in the locality are much closer to, and more accessible to the people they represent than other levels of government. Cheveley Parish Council is routinely consulted by the district council (East Cambridgeshire) on matters concerning residents such as planning applications, highways and street lighting.

What and who makes a good Councillor? follow this link

FAQ's concerning Councillors.

The parish council also has its own budget (precept) which it can spend in a variety of ways to maintain and improve facilities and services within the parish and to support local organisations and community groups. A full list of responsibilities is available here.

Members of Cheveley Parish Council are also trustees of the Cheveley Pavilion and Recreation Ground Charity which manages the pavilion and recreation ground for the benefit of the community (currently suspended and role taken over by Parish Council in conjunction with the Cheveley Pavilion Working Group). These facilities are regularly used but are also available for hire by individuals or organisations on an occasional basis.

Council Meetings

Full council meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month except August. Members of the public are welcome to attend these meetings and the first ten minutes are set aside (at the chairman's discretion) for members of the public to ask questions or to make statements relating to agenda items. After this, however, members of the public are permitted to speak at the Chairmans discretion.

Meetings are held in the community room at Cheveley Primary School and commence at 7.30pm.

Meeting Dates 2011/12:

Tuesday 17th May at 6pm (Annual General Meeting) [new date and time]

Tuesday 14 June 2011

Tuesday 12 July 2011

No meeting in August

Tuesday 13 September 2011

Tuesday 11 October 2011-Unfortunately postponed due to Council being inquorate, reconvened date and time to be announced shortly

Tuesday 8 November 2011

Tuesday 13 December 2011

Tuesday 10 January 2012

Monday 13 February 2012

Tuesday 13 March 2012

Tuesday 10 April 2012

Tuesday 8 May 2012 – ANNUAL MEETING OF THE PARISH COUNCIL

Tuesday 22 May 2012 – ANNUAL PARISH MEETING

Please note that this is a meeting of the electorate of the parish and not a council meeting.

How to become a Councillor

Elections take place every four years. The conduct of these elections is governed by a statutory procedure. Elections are advertised in advance according to a strict timetable. Candidates have to be proposed and seconded by electors of the parish. Any elector who is over 21 years of age and resides or works (and has done so for a minimum of 12 months) within the locality, or within a three-mile radius of it, can stand as a candidate. There are a few cases in which people may be disqualified from being elected. Full details can be supplied by the Clerk.

It is also possible to become a councillor between elections when an existing member resigns and a casual vacancy is created. Again there is a statutory process whereby the vacancy is advertised for a fixed period of time and, unless ten electors have requested a poll, the vacancy may be filled, subject to relevant checks, by co-option at a subsequent parish council meeting.