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Job Opportunities

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Arnside Parish Councillor Vacancy

Would you like to make an important contribution to the area you live in? Get involved in making decisions about the local community? Then this is the position for you!

It’s rewarding and enjoyable as you will be involved in making changes to help improve the lives of Arnside residents.

What’s Involved
Parish Councillors are unpaid volunteers who meet at least once a month. The purpose is to maintain and improve Arnside for all. You can support this by bringing your skills and knowledge to the Council, by proposing and getting involved in local projects while researching and engaging in conversations with parishioners and others.

Arnside Parish Council consists of eight councillors and three employees – the Parish Clerk, the Finance Officer and the Cemetery Officer. It is an effective team of like-minded people all wanting to make a positive difference.

The monthly meetings may last a couple of hours. You may also join committees, working groups and ad hoc meetings.
No special qualification is required to be a councillor. It is important that all sorts of people serve as councillors so that all parts of our community are represented. Training for new councillors is available to help you understand the responsibilities of the role.

What does the Parish Council Do?
Arnside Parish Council makes all kinds of decisions on issues that affect the local community. The most common topics that we get involved with are:

  • Planning matters – the Parish Council is a consultee,
  • Managing and maintaining the services and facilities we are responsible for,
  • Helping local groups, and campaigning for and delivering better services and facilities.

It’s true to say that, on their own, parish councils have limited powers to make decisions – but they do have the ability to negotiate with, and the power to influence, those other organisations that do make the final decisions, such as Westmorland & Furness Council and the Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape amongst others.

In this respect, parish councils are quite powerful. The organisations that make the final decisions know that a parish council gives the best reflection of how a community feels about something, and its views will be taken seriously.

The parish council also has the power to raise money through taxation – the ‘precept’ (the parish council’s share of the council tax) – to help meet its spending requirements.

Am I eligible to be a Parish Councillor?

You must be: a British subject, or a citizen of the Commonwealth or the European Union and over 18 years of age.

Additionally, you have to be at least one of the following:

• A local government elector for the council area for which you want to stand.
• Have, during the whole of the 12 months, occupied as owner or tenant any land or other premises in the council area or within 3 miles of it for the whole period/
• Have, during that same period, had your principal or only place of work in the council area or within 3 miles of it for the whole period.
• Have lived in the parish area or within three miles of it during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination.

You cannot stand for election if you:

• Are subject of a bankruptcy restriction order or interim order.
• Have, within five years before the day of the election, been convicted in the UK of any offence and have had a sentence of imprisonment (whether suspended or not) for a period of over three months without the option of a fine.
• You work for the council you want to become a councillor for (but you can work for other local authorities, including the principal authorities that represent the same area).
• Are subject to certain sexual offence legal orders under the Local Government Disqualification Act 2022 (which disqualifies individuals from standing for election or holding office in local authorities).

You don’t have to be connected to a political party. If you do become a parish councillor you will have to sign up to the Code of Conduct.

For more information, email the Parish Clerk at clerk@arnsideparishcouncil.gov.uk

Arnside Parish Council Councillor Vacancy – Job Description and Person SpecificatiomDownload

Vacancy For Gentle Exercise Volunteer Leader

Age UK South Lakeland are looking for enthusiastic Volunteer Leaders to host our weekly hour-long classes for older people in Grange, Endmoor and relief cover in the South Lakes area (including Arnside) which focus on gentle chair-based activities and exercises.

The classes provide a vital role in helping the community keep fit, active and healthy in a fun and supportive environment.

If you like working with groups and have an interest in physical activities, this could be the volunteer role for you! They will pay your expenses and training is provided.

If you can spare a few hours a week, or just a few hours a month and would like more information, please call Suzanne Ambrose on 01539 728118, or email sambrose@ageuksouthlakeland.org.uk

The next training day is on Thursday 16th May so don’t delay in getting in touch.

Gentle-Exercise-Volunteers-wanted_20240315Download

Community Catalysts

Community Catalysts South Lakes

Community Catalysts

Community Catalysts is a social enterprise working across the UK to try to make sure that people who need care and support to live their lives can get help in ways, times and places that suit them, with real choice of attractive local options. We help local people use their energies and talents to deliver sustainable community enterprises that can support other local people, creating jobs and volunteering opportunities.

Community Enterprise Project in the South Lakes

This is a new and exciting project delivered in partnership with Westmorland and Furness Council. The two- year project aims to stimulate the development and growth of community enterprises that provide a wide range of help and support for older and disabled people or similar.

Community Enterprise

People with talents, passion and local knowledge run community enterprises. They all aim to make a difference to the lives of local people. Our project has a focus on enterprises that support older or disabled people who need some care or help to live a good life or similar:

  • have 8 or fewer full-time staff or volunteers
  • are independent of any larger organisation.
  • are set up in many different and creative ways such as: sole trader, partnership, small business, social enterprise, charity or voluntary organisation.

Support from the Community Enterprise Project

Community Catalysts has a huge amount of experience helping local people establish community enterprises. We run a development programme which can:

  • offer you a friendly and supportive point of contact to explore ideas
  • support you to develop your community enterprise
  • give you practical information on regulation, training and opportunities in the health and social care sector
  • direct you to other organisations who can help

What might this mean for me?

Community Catalysts can support people who are currently running a community enterprise that helps older or disabled people who need some care or help to live a good life or similar. We can also help people who are interested in starting a new community enterprise.

We would also like to connect with people, organisations, businesses or groups across the South Lakes area who have an interest in building stronger communities.

Get in touch

Jade Gibson is employed by Community Catalysts to coordinate this project and to run the development programme.

Click here to leave your details on the form and Jade will get back to you:

Contact Jade Gibson on 07435 943933 or at jade.gibson@communitycatalysts.co.uk

CommCats-South-Lakes-A6-FlyerDownload