Being a community councillor means you have shared responsibility for the success of the community council. All members should contribute to discussions and decisions concerning the work of the community council. You must work within the terms of the scheme of establishment for community councils and associated governance documents.
Roles within a community council
There are various ways in which you can play your part in your community council. Each community council must have a chairperson, a treasurer and a secretary.
This doesn’t mean to say that those member must do all the work, but they are responsible for making sure that everything is done according to the Scheme of establishment and the Constitution
All members of the community council are equally responsible for the community council’s decisions and actions and may take on additional activities in support of the community council.
The office bearers’ roles are described below, followed by an outline of other potential roles within a community council.
Chairperson
The chairperson can make a massive difference to the success of a community council. Meetings are key to the community council making decisions on what its priorities are and what work it has to do. The chairperson is responsible for ensuring that discussions are productive and run on-time and that clear action points are set.
Secretary
The secretary ensures the smooth running of the community council by organising meetings, setting the agenda and keeping minutes and records.ﾠSecretaries also ensure effective communication between committee members.
Treasurer
The treasurer is responsible for handling the community council’s finances. It is his or her responsibility to ensure that the finances are kept healthy and the community council does not get into debt. The treasurer must oversee all financial administration and transactions of the community council and make decisions regarding these.
Other roles
Community councils might want to consider if there is a need to appoint to specific roles for example:
- Minutes Secretary - to assist with the agenda and minutes for meetings
- Planning Officer - to be the main contact in relation to planning matters and to respond to planning applications
- Licensing Officer - to be the main contact in relation to licensing matters and to respond to licensing applications
- Social Media - to be the lead for updating all social media platforms