Community Council Elections in Nairnshire - over 16 you can stand - NIMBI "Now I must become involved" ?

Thanks to Cawdor CC for forwarding the information below contained in a news letter they have received. In Nairn the West and Suburban CCs will be amalgamating so when the election comes round there will be only two Community Councils in the town. Some members of the Westies and River have indicated that they will not stand for re-election so there will be vacancies to fill and hopefully elections if enough citizens stand. There are also community councils for Cawdor and West Nairnshire, Auldearn and East Nairnshire.

Recently Nairn has experienced a way of digital activism on social media by those who have concerns about issues in the town. Perhaps some of those involved in the various groups may consider standing for the CCs. The information below that we received tells you what it is all about and the responsibilities involved. This observer hopes that lots of folk put themselves forward especially younger members of the community. Nominations start on 22nd of September. 

"Community Council Elections 2015

This September is your opportunity to get involved in the community by becoming a member of your local Community Council.

Community Councils act as a voice for the local area: they meet regularly to discuss issues affecting their area, including planning and licensing applications and one of their core functions is to represent the views of the local community. Many also involve themselves in a wide range of other activities for the benefit of the community. This is your opportunity to work with other people to represent the views of your community. 

Each Community Council is made up of a number of people living within the local area. Every four years there is an election where a new Community Council is elected. There will be an election this year and so we would like to encourage people to come forward to be part of their local Community Council. If you want to find out a bit more about what being a community councillor involves you can contact your local ward manager for more information (search for ‘Ward Managers’ at www.highland.gov.uk). 

Anyone can become a member of their Community Council provided they are:

· Over 16 years old

· Live within the specified boundary

· Are on the electoral register within the boundary 

If you are interested in becoming a Community Councillor, you can nominate yourself between Tuesday 22nd September and Tuesday 6th October 2015. Nomination forms will be available on the Council’s website or from local Service Points. If there are more nominations than places on the Community Council then there will an election ballot in that local area. 

If you’re interested then you can check which Community Council area you live in on the Highland Council website. You should also refer to the Elections pages of the Highland Council website for more information about the nomination process. If you have any questions, please email policy6@highland.gov.uk or contact your Ward Manager."