[This vacancy is now filled.]

[If you are interested in future vacancies please let the Clerk know.]

Regrettably, due to ill health, Fred Carling recently tendered his resignation as Parish Councillor. Fred had served for more than twelve years and we wish him well.

Charfield Parish Council is now seeking a motivated person to become a Parish Councillor.  As you will probably know if you frequent this site at all or read the ‘Chadra’ newsletter, we are a dynamic and forward thinking Council working hard to improve upon village living in Charfield.  Our current initiatives include the ongoing trial into reduced streetlighting, a refurbished and redesigned Play Area, and the provision from scratch of a new Burial Ground.  All this is done by a team of Councillors who donate their time and enthusiasm to the service of the community, ably assisted by the Clerk.

There are rules on who can become a Councillor. In the main they are related to age (over 18), Nationality (British, European or Commonwealth Citizen) and to how long you’ve lived here. You also have to be a person in good standing (not a bankrupt, nor have a recent conviction) and can’t be a paid employee of the Council.  These are outlined in more detail in the document, “Become_a_councillor“.

Charfield Parish Council is now able to Co-Opt a new Councillor. If more than one person applies for the position there will be a brief selection process. Please express your interest to the Parish Clerk and do feel free to speak to any of the Parish Councillors – ask them if they feel it’s a worth-while thing to do! Why not turn up at the next Parish Council meeting and see what goes on – nearly all of it is held in public. Come on; we need you!

A while back, some Councillors were carrying out the monthly play equipment inspection. They enjoyed a lengthy chat with some of the youths using the hexagonal shelter, and we’ve recently made some changes which reflect at least some of the wishes of those kids.

We’ve had the shelter repainted and we’ve had weatherboarding fitted to four sides of the shelter. This was a particular request from the youths, who asked for protection from the rain. Boarding half the shelter only allows for safe monitoring of the users while allowing them some privacy and protection.

At the same time the Council decided to leave the inner weatherboarding painted in matt grey undercoat. This is an experiment of sorts, which allows for a level of artistic expression – graffitti if you like. There are many forms of graffitti, from slogans, tags and daubs, through to Banksy style works which now get displayed in major museums!

Please look after the shelter – the refurbishment cost us a couple of hundred pounds which had to come out of the funds put aside for new play equipment. Feel free to paint the grey areas, but please leave the blue alone and don’t tag or paint obscenities. Apart from that – have fun!

We look forward to seeing what the youth of Charfield are capable of. After all, they were very inventive when it came to practical weatherproofing…