'Your town needs you' - and so does the parish council!

AXBRIDGE councillors are concerned there may be a severe shortage of residents standing for election this year. The four-yearly local elections will take place in May, and more residents are urgently needed to represent local councils. Speaking at an Axbridge Town Council meeting on Monday, Councillor Pauline Ham said: "We need to get out there and talk to residents to persuade them to join. We can't press-gang people or hold them down but we need to use our common sense to get more people on board."Councillor Paul Passey said: "This year is the 450th anniversary of the town charter so it would dreadful if residents didn't come forward. There might be people who are dying to get in but don't know who to approach. We need to send out the message - 'your town needs you'."Each parish and town council has to have a certain number of members. This number is based on the population of the area and geographical size of the ward. Axbridge town clerk Vicky Brice said: "We will be actively seeking out people to stand for election but I can't comment on how many councillors will be stepping down."For a 'full' council Axbridge needs 13 members, Cheddar needs 15, Wedmore needs 16 and Rodney Stoke needs 11. Other council clerks have also expressed concerns about the number of residents standing for election, but cannot yet confirm how many current councillors will be retiring. Wedmore clerk Simon Emery said: "We may well have some stepping down, but we have already approached some residents who may be interested in joining the council and I don't foresee a problem in Wedmore."Anyone who is interested in becoming a councillor can seek advice from Sedgemoor and Mendip district councils and should also approach a local parish councillor to make them aware you are interested. Each applicant will then need to find a proposer and seconder.