Cheveley Parish Council
The council has eleven elected members representing two wards; South Ward (six members) covering the village of Cheveley and North Ward (five members) covering the Newmarket Fringe area between Duchess Drive and Ashley Road. The council also employs a part time Clerk who deals with administration and advises members on procedures and protocols.
Parish councils are the first tier of local government and perform an important role as the councillors who must live or work in the locality are much closer to, and more accessible to the people they represent than other levels of government. Cheveley Parish Council is routinely consulted by the district council (East Cambridgeshire) on matters concerning residents such as planning applications, highways and street lighting.
The parish council also has its own budget (Precept) which it can spend in a variety of ways to maintain and improve facilities and services within the parish and to support local organisations and community groups. A full list of responsibilities is available here.
Members of Cheveley Parish Council are also trustees of the Cheveley Pavilion and Recreation Ground Charity which manages the pavilion and recreation ground for the benefit of the community. These facilities are regularly used by local football teams but are also available for hire by individuals or organisations on an occasional basis.
Council Meetings
Full council meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month except August. Members of the public are welcome to attend these meetings and the first ten minutes are set aside (at the chairman's discretion) for members of the public to ask questions or to make statements relating to agenda items. After this, however, members of the public are permitted to speak at the Chairmans discretion.
Meetings are held in the community room at Cheveley Primary School and commence at 7.30pm.
Meeting Dates 2010/11:
Tuesday 11th May (Annual General Meeting)
Tuesday 8th June
Tuesday 13th July
Tuesday 14th September
Tuesday 12th October
Tuesday 9th November
Tuesday 14th December
Tuesday 11th January
Tuesday 8th February
Tuesday 8th March
Tuesday 12th April
Meeting Dates 2011/12:
Tuesday 10th May (Annual General Meeting)
How to become a Councillor
Elections take place every four years. The conduct of these elections is governed by a statutory procedure. Elections are advertised in advance according to a strict timetable. Candidates have to be proposed and seconded by electors of the parish. Any elector who is over 21 years of age and resides or works (and has done so for a minimum of 12 months) within the locality, or within a three-mile radius of it, can stand as a candidate. There are a few cases in which people may be disqualified from being elected. Full details can be supplied by the Clerk.
It is also possible to become a councillor between elections when an existing member resigns and a casual vacancy is created. Again there is a statutory process whereby the vacancy is advertised for a fixed period of time and, unless ten electors have requested a poll, the vacancy is filled by co-option at a subsequent parish council meeting. | 
