Councillor Rev. Neville Beamer

The Role of a councillor

Primary Role

Ø       To represent the electorate to the Council. 

Ø       To participate in community leadership and also in the determination of the strategic direction of the Council.

Main Responsibilities

(a)      Represent, to the best of ability, the interests of all residents of the Ward.

(b)      When appropriate, represent the interests of individual residents of the Ward in dealings with the Council and/or the Council’s partners.

(c)      Provide community leadership by representing the views of the electorate to the Council by

·         developing an understanding of the relationships which need to be built with the public and all sections of the community to ensure their interests are paramount; and the capacity to put in place the structures and processes required, within the authority and externally, to achieve this;

·         undertaking analysis and exercising dispassionate judgement on the authority’s performance and outcomes, both on its own and where it interacts and engages with other agencies, including the voluntary sector and community groups, for the purposes of enhanced effectiveness, quality assurance, continuous improvement, joined up government, and to inform future policies and service developments;

·         focusing outwardly on the needs of those who are the reason for the authority’s existence, with political and management structures, resource allocation, systems and processes organised to this end;

·         listening and encouraging feedback and continuous dialogue with all sections of the community; convincing and influencing, using a variety of media appropriately and sensitively; and building and maintaining the networks through which to communicate; and

·         creating specific and purposeful opportunities to listen to the views of users, the community, partners, etc as a means of learning how to improve the Council’s performance in responding to their needs and interests and, where appropriate, involving them even more actively in decision-making, service specification and redesign.

(d)      Development of a personal Training Plan and its implementation

(e)      As a Member of Full Council:-

o        Be responsible for the formal approval of the budget strategy, both revenue and capital, and for setting Council Tax levels.