WEST Devon Borough Council is hosting two information events this month for people who are considering becoming a councillor in the next borough elections in May. The events, in Tavistock and Okehampton, are part of a campaign to attract more people to serve their community. On May 3, 31 borough council seats will be up for election and the council wants to make sure that interested people know what they must do if they want to be a candidate. A special leaflet has been put together by West Devon giving prospective candidates an idea of what would be expected of them. It gives a wide variety of useful information concerning eligibility, training, clerical support, where meetings are held, and time off work for council responsibilities. The sessions are being held on Saturday March 17 from 10am to 1pm at the borough's customer services centre in St James Street, Okehampton, and on Monday March 19 from 5pm to 8pm at the council's Kilworthy Park offices in Tavistock. Carrisa Allen, West Devon's electoral services officer, said the sessions would be very informal and those interested could drop in at any time. She said: ' We do get asked about the role of a councillor and we hope these events will give people an opportunity to see what the job entails.' West Devon Mayor Cllr Ken Williams and other members are expected to attend the information days to give advice to prospective candidates. Elections are not only being held for borough councillors, but for parish and town councillors too. All will hold their seats for the next four years. The borough has 44 town and parish councils, with hundreds of councillors representing their communities. Each seat is open for election. The election process begins in West Devon on March 19 with the publication of the Notice of Election. Nominations for councillors must be submitted to the borough by 12 noon on Wednesday April 4. If you would like to obtain more information on the election process or you would like a nomination pack then contact Mrs Allen on 01822 813665 or email [email protected]">[email protected]
