Councillors

Volunteer Local Councillors are elected by the community to decide how the council should carry out its various activities. They represent public interest as well as individuals living within the ward in which they have been elected to serve a term of office.

They have regular contact with the general public through council meetings, telephone calls or surgeries. Surgeries provide an opportunity for any ward resident to go and talk their councillor face to face and these take place on a regular basis.

Volunteers
Town councillors are volunteers and are not paid a salary for their work. Barnstaple Town Councillors receive an annual allowance and the very occasional reimbursement of expenses such as mileage. By law, all members of the Council are required to complete a declaration of interest form, the details of which are published annually.

Support and Training
Town Councillors are offered support and training throughout their term of office, both from Town Council officers and from sector bodies such as the National Association of Local Councils and the Local Government Association.

Code of Conduct
All Town Councillors must agree to abide by the Town Council’s Code of Conduct, which focusses on the Nolan Principles for public life.

Complaints
If you need to make a complaint about a Town Councillor, please write to:

Town Clerk – Barnstaple Town Council
Townclerk@barnstapletowncouncil.gov.uk

Monitoring Officer – North Devon Council 

Town Councillors

Town Councillors are elected every four years. The most recent Town Council elections took place on 25 July, 2019 and the parish of Barnstaple is made up of 7 separate ward areas.

Can anyone stand for election as a Town Councillor?

Yes, if you are a British, Commonwealth or European citizen aged 18 or over and meet any one of the following criteria:

• you are on the electoral roll for the parish
• you have lived in the parish, or within 3 miles of it, for the previous 12 months
• you have occupied any land or premises in the parish for the previous 12 months
• your main place of work is within the parish
• you can find out more by visiting the Electoral Commission website