10 Candidates were validly nominated for Troqueer Landward Community Council in September 2009. This was a sufficient number for the new Community Council to be instated, though three vacant positions remained at the time. The Council is at capacity with 13 voting members. Additional voting members may be coopted by the Community Council in order to attain this number.

The first meeting of the current community Council took place on Monday 26th October 2009.

Every 3 years, Community Councillors must stand down in order to offer others a chance to take their turn. The Term of Office for the current Community Council will finish in Autumn 2012.

Additional Information About Community Council Elections

The next Troqueer Landward Community Council election will take place in Autumn 2012

Troqueer Landward Community Council has a maximum of 13 voting members.

Those stepping down at an election frequently put their names forward as candidates for the next term of office and are often returned unapposed. Sometimes they continue to serve as Community Councillors over several terms. There is no problem with this as long as the Community is happy with their representatives.

Who can be a Candidate?

Any person who is over the age of 18 and on the electoral register for the area may be nominated as a candidate for the Community Council.[The Electoral Register is a public document and is available for inspection under supervision at public libraries, local authority offices and at the office of the Electoral Registration Officer.]

Each candidate must be nominated and seconded, also by residents of the area, whose names appear on the TLCC electoral register. There is a special nomination paper for this purpose, and this will be made available in July or August 2012 prior to the next TLCC election.

The Returning Officer

Nominations for the Community Councill must be submitted to the Returning Officer. This is the person who makes sure that everything is fair and correctly done. The Returning Officer for TLCC is Sheila Howat who is not a member of the Community Council and whose appointment is approved by Dumfries and Galloway Council.

What if there are more than 13 Candidates?

If there are more than 13 candidates then there has to be an election. Ballot papers are prepared in a style approved by Dumfries and Galloway Council and all members of the Community on the electoral register are entitled to vote.

Why do Community Council ballots not often happen?

Sometimes if there are more than the maximum number of candidates, some candidates who have served before may withdraw. More often than not, the real difficulty is finding enough people to fill all the places on the Community Council and so there is no need for a ballot. The candidates are elected unapposed.

What are the responsibilities of a Community Councillor?

TLCC usually has 10 meetings a year, on the first Wednesday of each, month. with a a break at Christmas and in August. Community Councillors should try to attend all meetings. Sometimes there may be additional meetings to attend. Members of the Community sometimes approach Community Councillors to tell them about problems. The Community Councillor should be ready to listen and if appropriate bring the matter forward to the next meeting for discussion.

What is the business of a Community Council?

Typical discussions are around matters such as anti social behaviour, dog fouling, neighbour problems, activities for young people, planning issues, and so on.

Some Community Councils run successful social evenings or gala events and these can be an excellent way of bringing a community together.

Volunteers

Community Councilors are volunteers. Sometimes they may get expenses to cover travel or other costs. All such payments are clearly set out in Council accounts, maintained by the Treasurer, presented at monthly meetings and examined by an independent accountant at each Annual General Meeting.

Annual General Meetings

These happen once a year and are where the office bearers - Chair, Vice, Chair, Secretary and Treasurer - are elected

What qualities should a Community Councillor have?

A Community Councillor should listen carefully to the views of fellow Community Councillors and members of the Community and be able give a fair hearing to both sides of a story.

Whatever their feelings about an issue, they should avoid personal comments and concentrate on expressing themselves with proper respect for all those who contribute to a discussion.

They should be honest and open about any strongly held view they may have and which could affect the business of the Community Council.

They should be patient; Community Councill business is sometimes interesting, but don't expect it to be exciting or fast moving all the time!

Members of the Community decide!

In the end is it members of the Community who should decide the qualities they want in a Community Councillor.

Do you know someone who you think could do the job well? Talk to them about it. Perhaps they can be coopted onto the Community Council if there are vacancies on the present council.

If there is no vacancy on the Community Council, encourage your candidate to accept your nomination for the next election in October 2012. When the election date approaches, find a seconder, complete the nomination paper and submit it to the Returning Officer whose address will be on the nomination paper.