Parish Councillors & Clerk
Parish Councillors
Old Cleeve Parish Council consists of three Wards – Old Cleeve, Washford and Roadwater.
Each Ward has its own elected Parish Councillors and these number 4 for Old Cleeve, 6 for Washford and 5 for Roadwater, giving a total of 15 Councillors for the whole Parish.
The Parish Council is an elected corporate body of non-paid volunteers, plus a paid Clerk, and is a vital part of your community. All of our Councillors are unpaid and are elected to serve for four years, unless a vacancy arises which may be filled by a by-election or by co-option.
Declarations of Interest at a Meeting
When Councillors first take up their post they must formally declare any disclosable pecuniary interests or DPIs, in the ‘Register of Councillor’s Interests‘ maintained by Somerset Council.
DPIs are business or financial interests relating to the Councillor, their spouse and family.
If an agenda item relates to one of a Councillor’s DPIs then they must declare such to the Chair at the beginning of the meeting and not participate in the discussion or vote.
Councillors will also be asked to declare any special interests in any of the agenda items at the start of the meeting – this is intended to give the public confidence in the decision-making. This is also an opportunity to declare any other conflict of interest associated with an agenda item, which is not a DPI.
These might be those items that have an impact on the Councillor, their family, a friend or close associate more than it would have an impact on those in the local community generally.
Old Cleeve Parish Councillors
Chairman
Cllr Williams
Vice-Chairman
Cllr Ensor
Old Cleeve Ward
| Name | Address | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cllr Margaret Smith | 31 Cleeve Park, Chapel Cleeve, TA24 6JD | msmith@oldcleeveparishcouncil.gov.uk | 01984 640365 |
| Cllr Geoff Williams | Linton, Old Cleeve, Minehead, TA24 6HT | gmwilliams@oldcleeveparishcouncil.gov.uk | 01984 640801 |
| Cllr Judith Stabb | Old Cleeve | jstabb@oldcleeveparishcouncil.gov.uk | |
| Vacancy |
Roadwater Ward
| Name | Address | Phone | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cllr Steve Eggar | 2 Treborough Cottages, Roadwater, TA23 0QL | seggar@oldcleeveparishcouncil.gov.uk | 07777 632570 | |
| Cllr Jude Johnson-Smith | 5 The Crescent, Roadwater, TA23 0RF | jjsmith@oldcleeveparishcouncil.gov.uk | 07880 998971 | |
| Cllr Rick Gaskin | Blackbird Cottage, Golsoncott, Minehead TA24 6QZ | rgaskin@oldcleeveparishcouncil.gov.uk | 07895 757800 | |
| Cllr Chris Dutton | Roadwater | cdutton@oldcleeveparishcouncil.gov.uk |
Washford Ward
| Name | Address | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cllr Phil Gannon | Millstones, Washford, Watchet, TA23 0PQ | pagannon@oldcleeveparishcouncil.gov.uk | 01984 640892 |
| Cllr Heather Beaver | The Pebbles, Washford, Watchet, TA23 0NW | hbeaver@oldcleeveparishcouncil.gov.uk | 07731 427965 |
| Cllr Louise Baker | Lower Bye Farm, Washford, Watchet, TA23 0JT | lbaker@oldcleeveparishcouncil.gov.uk | 01984 641141 |
| Cllr Mandy Wallington | Washford | mwallington@oldcleeveparishcouncil.gov.uk | 07895 757800 |
| Cllr Keith Hunt | 2 Bilbrook Farm Cottages, Bilbrook, Minehead, TA24 6HG | khunt@oldcleeveparishcouncil.gov.uk | 01984 248694 |
| Cllr Matt Ensor | Washford | mensor@oldcleeveparishcouncil.gov.uk | 07895 757800 |
Somerset Councillors
| Name | Address | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cllr Christine Lawrence | The Old Custom House, 33 Quay St, Minehead, TA24 5UL | cmlawrence@somerset.gov.uk | 01643 707889 |
| Cllr Marcus Kravis | Anchor’s Drop, Blue Anchor, TA24 6JP | marcus.kravis@somerset.gov.uk | 07999 996263 |
Finance Committee
- Cllr Williams
- Cllr Ensor
- Cllr Johnson-Smith
- Supported by the Clerk
Personnel Committee
- Cllr Williams
- Cllr Johnson-Smith
- Cllr Ensor
Complaints Committee
- Cllr Baker
- Cllr Gannon
- Cllr Dutton
- Cllr Stabb
Asset Inspection Working Party
- Cllr Williams
- Cllr Gannon
- Cllr Baker
- Cllr Eggar
- Supported by the Clerk
Sydenham Charity Representative
Cllr Baker
Parish Clerk/Responsible Finance Officer
| Name | Phone | |
|---|---|---|
| Andrea Johnson | clerk@oldcleeveparishcouncil.gov.uk | 07895 757800 |
The administration of the Council is managed by the Proper Officer of the Council or Parish Clerk, who is a paid employee, acting in a combined statutory role, as secretary and treasurer of the Council.
The Clerk’s role, acting as the “Proper Officer” of the Council, is to ensure that the Council, as a whole, conducts its business properly and in line with the Council’s and Local Government’s laws and regulations. To be ultimately responsible for enacting the decisions of the Council and to deal with all official correspondence for the Parish Council. Although an employee of the Council, the Parish Clerk is expected to provide independent, objective and professional advice.
The mandatory financial monitoring and reporting are the Clerk’s responsibility, and in this role the Clerk is known as the “Responsible Financial Officer” (RFO) of the Council.
The Clerk also provides procedural guidance for the Council itself, and ensures that statutory and other provisions governing or affecting the running of the Council are observed. The Clerk also prepares agendas for Council meetings and its Committees, gives notice of these to the Council members and the public, and records and publishes the Minutes of these meetings.
The Clerk is the formal point of contact with the public, and is a source of information about the Council’s activities.
All meetings are held on a Monday and start at 7.00pm unless otherwise stated.
The Annual Parish Meeting is held in April or May and officers are elected annually in May at the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council.
What is involved in being a Parish Councillor
By being a Parish Councillor you can help your community change for the better as a result of decisions you have helped to make. Parish Councillors all have an active interest in their local community and a concern for it. It is an unpaid position. As a Parish Councillor you become someone your community will look to for advice, guidance, help and support.
Ordinary Parish Council elections take place every 4 years, usually in early May. A Parish Councillor therefore sits on the Council for a 4 year period, after which time they may stand for re-election. If a vacancy occurs in between the scheduled elections there may need to be an extra election.
To stand for a Parish Councillor you must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Be a UK or Commonwealth citizen, or
- Be a citizen of another Member State of the European Union
In addition, to stand for Old Cleeve Parish Council you must:
- Be a registered elector of the Parish of Old Cleeve, or
- For the whole of the previous 12 months have occupied (as owner or tenant) land or other premises in the parish, or
- During the previous 12 months have worked in the Parish (as your principal or only place of work), or
- For the whole of the previous 12 months lived in the Parish or within 3 miles of the Parish boundary
You may not become a Parish Councillor if:
- You are a paid employee of the Parish Council
- Within the previous 5 years you have been convicted of an offence and have been sentenced to not less than 3 months imprisonment (whether suspended or not) without the option of a fine
- Within the previous 12 months you have been subject to a bankruptcy restrictions order or an interim order
- You are subject to any enactment relating to corrupt or illegal practices
A Parish Councillor, as with all public service roles, should adhere to the seven Nolan Principles of Public Life: Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty and Leadership.
View a copy of ‘The Good Councillor’s Guide – an essential guide for local councillors‘