Our Parish Councillors

Chair Kate Royston
2 Rock View
Devon Consols
Tavistock
PL19 8PB
Tel: 07969 569444
Email
Register of Interests

Vice Chair Daniel Edwards
Western Meadow
Colcharton
Gulworthy
Tavistock
PL19 8HU
Tel: 07942 286125
Email
Register of Interests

Councillor William James Hamilton
Woodovis Farm
Gulworthy
Tavistock
PL19 8NW
Tel: 01822 832207
Email
Register of Interests

Councillor George Lister
Morwellham Quay
Tavistock
PL19 8JL
Tel: 07942 286125
Email
Register of Interests

Councillor Katherine Steer
Hele Farm
Gulworthy
Tavistock
PL19 8PA
Tel: 07942 286125
Email
Register of Interests

Councillors

Whether a councillor stood for election and was voted in, or were instead co-opted to fill a vacancy, it makes little difference. Councillors work together in the council to serve the community. A councillors role is to bring local issues to the attention of the council and help it make decisions on behalf of the local community.

Councillors bring many skills and experiences to the table and every councillor can make acontribution. The following list gives a taster of the things a councillor should do:

effectively represents the interests of their parish

actively and constructively contributes to good governance

actively encourages community participation and citizen involvement in the work of the council

knows and has contact with key local stakeholders

represents the council to the community

is a channel of communication for the parish and ensures constituents are informed of services and decisions that affect them and the reasons for these decisions

develops and maintains a working knowledge of organisations operating within the area

deals with constituents’ enquiries and representations fairly and without prejudice

contributes to the formation of the council’s policies and plans by active involvement in council meetings

undertakes appropriate training and development to help fulfil the requirements of the councillors role

acts as the councils representative on outside bodies and reports back

Conduct and Interests

There are seven Nolan Principles which define the standards of public life. They are:

Selflessness – you should act in the public interest

Integrity – you should not put yourself under any obligations to others, allow them improperly to influence you or seek benefit for yourself, family, friends or close associates

Objectivity – you should act impartially, fairly and on merit

Accountability – you should be prepared to submit to public scrutiny necessary to ensure accountability

Openness – you should be open and transparent in your actions and decisions unless there are clear and lawful reasons for non-disclosure

Honesty – you should always be truthful

Leadership – as a councillor, you should promote, support and exhibit high standards of conduct and be willing to challenge poor behaviour.

Each local council adopts a Code of Conduct that is in line with the Nolan Principles and deals with councillors’ obligations to register and disclose their interests. Any complaints about a councillors’ conduct must be dealt with by the principal authority’s monitoring officer.

Councillors must declare their business and financial interests called ‘Disclosable Pecuniary Interests’. These include: employment, land and business interests. It is a potential criminal offence to fail to register or declare a DPI, discuss and/or voting on a matter where there is a DPI.

May 2024