This is the substance of an E-mail from Dr Paul Thornton, that is being circulated within the village:
The establishment of the Parish Council for Burton Green is key to the campaign against HS2 and the mitigation locally.
There are a good many people who are very much part of the Burton Green community but who actually live just across the Coventry or Solihull boundaries.
It had previously been announced that three new councillors would simply be co-opted by the existing four Burton Green councillors who are transferring from the previous combined Parish Council that covered Burton Green, Ashow, Stoneleigh and University. The new councillors will now be elected.
Only residents who live in the Warwickshire Burton Green ward will be eligible to vote, but there is the facility for individuals who are resident outside the ward to stand for the election.
It is hugely important for the credibility of the new council in its dealings with HS2 and others that its councillors are seen to have a democratic mandate, having been elected from as good a pool of candidates as possible. This becomes all the more important as, co-incidentally, restrictions on the powers of Parish Councils have been lifted, and they have new responsibilities - particularly in respect of planning decisions - under the new Localism Act.
Further information about those changes is available at these links:
The nomination pack also included a copy of electoral commission guidance that is on line at this link:
Which is linked off this webpage where there is more detailed information:
There is more information about becoming a councillor here:
None of the above implies any criticism of anyone who might already have allowed themselves to be nominated for the election. Quite the contrary applies.
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