Parish Councillors work together as a team for the good of the Parish and the people in the parish. They undertake regular training to improve their competencies and develop their skills. You can read the Parish Council’s training policy on our Documents page.

Copies of the Parish Councillors’ Register of Interests are lodged with Cornwall Council.

Becoming a Parish Councillor

Full Parish Council elections are held every four years. The last were held on 6 May 2021, but from time to time, vacancies may be available as councillors retire or resign. We always advertise these 'casual vacancies' on our website and parish notice boards, and anyone is free to apply as long as they satisfy the criteria. To be eligible to stand for an election for the parish, you must:

be an elector of the parish
for the whole of the previous 12 months have occupied (as owner or tenant) land or other premises in the parish
during the previous 12 months have worked in the parish (as your principal or only place of work).

Read more about the work of a Parish Council in this guide produced by the National Association of Local Councils All About Local Council 2018.

We also produce a profile for people considering making application. This is not the same as the one you would see for a job application, but it sets out the broad areas of experience that would be useful to have. Download a copy of the profile here.

Being a Parish Councillor

As part of their preparation for taking an active role in the Parish Council, all Councillors need to undergo a period of induction. This will give them the opportunity to learn more about the way in which the Parish Council works, what its obligations and legal responsibilities are and how they can make the best use of their time as a councillor.

Listed on our Documents page are a series of Quick Guides on the essential things a new Councillor will need to know before taking part in their first meeting. We ask all new Parish Councillors to take the time out to read through these guides before their induction. They are not expected to remember all of it – that will come with experience and practice, but it will be helpful for them to know this much about the background of their decision making.