TWO information events for people who are considering becoming a councillor in the next borough elections in May are to be held in Tavistock and Okehampton.

The events, taking place next month, are part of a campaign to attract more people to serve their community.

On Thursday May 5, 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 — ' A Councillor . . . Who Me?' — 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 covering eligibility, training, support, where meetings are held, and time commitment.

The information sessions are being held on Saturday February 5, from 10am to noon at the borough council's customer services centre in St James Street Okehampton, and on Thursday February 10, from 6pm to 8pm at the council's Kilworthy Park offices in Tavistock.

Pam Smith, West Devon Borough committee secretary, said that the sessions would be very informal and anyone 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.'

Borough councillors will be attending the information events to give first-hand advice to prospective candidates.

Elections are not only being held for borough councillors, but also for parish and town councillors. All will hold their seats for the next four years.

The borough has 44 town and parish councils, including grouped parish councils, with hundreds of councillors representing their communities. Each seat is open for election.

The election process begins on March 23 with the publication of the notice of election, after which nomination papers can be formally submitted. Nomination packs will be available from March 21.

The deadline for handing in nomination papers is noon on Monday April 4.

For more information on the election process or on being a councillor contact Pam Smith on 01822 813662 or email psmith@westdevon.

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