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BIDEFORD TOWN COUNCIL
NOTICE OF CO-OPTION OF TWO TOWN COUNCILLORS
NORTH WARD
If you are interested in serving as a Town Councillor, please complete the application form for co-option to the Bideford Town Council
The Council Meeting schedule is published on the website; Town Council Meetings are generally every six weeks.
The closing date for applications is Wednesday, 14 June 2023.
Candidates must apply in writing using the application form.
All candidates shall be invited to attend the next full meeting following the application deadline (Thursday, 22 June 2023).
All town councillors will receive copies of the candidate applications along with the summons to attend the next full council meeting following the application deadline.
There will be an agenda item set aside for questions to be asked of the candidates and for candidates to have the opportunity to ask questions of the members.
To be appointed to the council any applicant must secure an absolute majority in a ballot at the Full Council Meeting. The person with the least votes will be removed from the list and a fresh vote taken until an overall majority is reached. In the event of a tie the Chairman shall have the casting vote.
If a further casual vacancy arises within three months after co-option, those that were unsuccessful can request that their application is resubmitted, this does not affect their rights to submit a completely new application.
Successfully co-opted applicants become Councillors in their own right with immediate effect, having signed a Declaration of Acceptance of Office, and are no different from any other member. The member must complete the Members’ Register of Interests within 28 days with a copy being sent to the monitoring officer at Torridge District Council.
This Notice of Vacancy should be read in conjunction with the Code of Conduct available on the Council's website: https://tinyurl.com/254rfek2
The Council Meeting schedule is published on the website; Town Council Meetings are generally every six weeks.
The closing date for applications is Wednesday, 14 June 2023.
Candidates must apply in writing using the application form.
All candidates shall be invited to attend the next full meeting following the application deadline (Thursday, 22 June 2023).
All town councillors will receive copies of the candidate applications along with the summons to attend the next full council meeting following the application deadline.
There will be an agenda item set aside for questions to be asked of the candidates and for candidates to have the opportunity to ask questions of the members.
To be appointed to the council any applicant must secure an absolute majority in a ballot at the Full Council Meeting. The person with the least votes will be removed from the list and a fresh vote taken until an overall majority is reached. In the event of a tie the Chairman shall have the casting vote.
If a further casual vacancy arises within three months after co-option, those that were unsuccessful can request that their application is resubmitted, this does not affect their rights to submit a completely new application.
Successfully co-opted applicants become Councillors in their own right with immediate effect, having signed a Declaration of Acceptance of Office, and are no different from any other member. The member must complete the Members’ Register of Interests within 28 days with a copy being sent to the monitoring officer at Torridge District Council.
This Notice of Vacancy should be read in conjunction with the Code of Conduct available on the Council's website: https://tinyurl.com/254rfek2
The co-option application form can be downloaded for printing here
INTRODUCING THE MAYOR AND DEPUTY MAYOR FOR 2023-2024
Bideford Town Council elected the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, on Monday 15th May at the Annual Meeting, for the 2023-2024 term.
Councillor Jamie McKenzie was voted in, following the tradition of the Deputy Mayor progressing forward to Mayor. Councillor McKenzie is from East the Water and is a Bideford boy – many of you will know him and some may remember him from their schooldays!
Jamie will be supported by his Mayoress and wife Zofia. He said, when he was elected, that he felt privileged to serve as his home town Mayor and would do his best to represent Bideford in the best light possible.
Councillor Jamie McKenzie
Bideford Town Mayor 2023-2024
The elected Deputy Mayor is Councillor Carl Hawkins. This is Carl’s second term at Town Council and, like the Mayor, he is also a local lad. He will be supported by his Deputy Mayoress and wife, Tina. Some of you may know him for his work with hedgehogs at Hedwigs Hotel.
Councillor Carl Hawkins
Deputy Town Mayor 2023-2024
TOILET TWINNING
Bideford has been awarded the status of a Toilet Twinned Town, and a Certificate, presented by the President of Bideford Rotary to the Mayor, is proudly displayed in The Town Hall.
In Bideford we have access to safe toilets, in our homes, at work and when we are out shopping or visiting, but 2.3 billion people, about a quarter of the world’s population, do not, which makes their lives uncomfortable, unpleasant, and presents a huge risk. Teenage girls, who need privacy, are particularly at risk and many are forced to miss school.
During the past year, after an evening of fund-raising and challenging toilet games, Bideford Rotarians have nominated 20 toilets in and around Bideford, and each twin, for a donation of £60, has been paired with a toilet in an African country - Mozambique, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burkina Faso among them. The funds also contribute to community education and sanitation programmes.
Bideford’s 20 twinned toliets, each marked with its own Toilet Twinning Certificate, are located at Moreton House, The Big Sheep, Burton Art Gallery, Littleham Village Hall, The Royal Hotel, The Town Hall, West Croft Primary School, Appledore Shipyard, the Bread Café (Allhalland Street), Bideford Medical Centre and St Mary’s Church.
Mayor Jude Gubb, in her last day in office, said, ‘With so many toilets twinned, Bideford is flushed with success.’
Jill Eddie, President of Bideford Rotary, added, ‘Rotary has responsibilities to its local community and to communities across the world. We raised funds in Bideford and, working with ‘Toilet Twinning’, an international charity, we were proud to provide safe sanitation in 20 African villages, which will make many lives safer and healthier.’
For more information, contact Euan Eddie, International and Foundation Lead at Bideford Rotary – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
