This is a great opportunity for you to speak up for the causes you believe in and help us make decisions about Ludlow today and tomorrow. Councils need a wide range of people with a wide range of experiences. This does not have to be professional experience. Commitment and experience of the everyday is as good a qualification as any.
Ludlow Town Council is to appoint three councillors to fill vacancies on the town council. No experience is necessary and applications must be submitted by 8th June. The co-option meeting will be on 16th June. Apply here.
The council, like all councils, needs new faces. New ideas. New energies.
There is so much to do in Ludlow. We need to become a greener town. A tree town. We need a sustainable transport strategy with better buses. We must ensure that our local businesses and market thrive after the misery of the pandemic. Promote the visitor economy but not ignoring local needs. We must provide better support for young people and through that reduce anti-social behaviour. We must improve the supply of affordable housing, strengthen our sense of community and ensure we have local jobs for local people.
The council manages Ludlow Market, the three public toilets and the Buttercross and its museum. It issues permits for a wide range of events, including the Green Fair and the May Fair. It facilitates the food and medieval festivals, and one off events. It gives grants to a wide range of organisations, which have recently included young people and the Ludlow Assembly Rooms.
The council conventionally meets in the in the Grade I listed Guildhall but until restrictions are further listed is meeting in the Methodist Church and on Zoom.
There are no formal qualifications for being a councillor. The time commitment varies and is largely down to the individual. It helps to have patience, to be able to listen and – to be honest – to put up with a degree of frustration. That is not a criticism of Ludlow Town Council, councillors everywhere often feel frustrated but that doesn’t put them off trying to help their community.
If you are not used to committees, it can be a little bewildering at first. There are experienced councillors and clerks to help guide members and a series of training courses which are mostly online these days.
Ludlow Town Council is unusual in asking for a lot of detail about prospective councillors. This was debated at the last council meeting. It was clear that the mood of the meeting was against asking people for their hobbies. Why do we want to know that you knit yogurt in your spare time? More seriously, the skills assessment focuses on professional skills, on experience in chairing not life skills for caring. The application procedures are to be reviewed later.
In the meanwhile, please don’t be put off. Councillors are clear is that will matter most is the three minute presentation on 16 June. Voting is in secret and the successful new councillors will immediately join the meeting. Not even time for celebratory sherry. Sorry!
You can apply to become a Ludlow Town Councillor here.
I think this post sums up the dilemma of local government very well:
a)”There is so much to do in Ludlow. We need to become a greener town. A tree town. We need a sustainable transport strategy with better buses. We must ensure that our local businesses and market thrive after the misery of the pandemic. Promote the visitor economy but not ignoring local needs. We must provide better support for young people and through that reduce anti-social behaviour. We improve the supply of affordable housing, strengthen our sense of community and ensure we have local jobs for local people.”
b) “The council manages Ludlow Market, the three public toilets and the Buttercross and its museum. It issues permits for a wide range of events, including the Green Fair and the May Fair. It facilitates the food and medieval festivals, and one off events. It gives grants to a wide range of organisations, which have recently included young people and the Ludlow Assembly Rooms.”
Did you spot the disconnection……?