MAY I first of all wish all the residents of Ilminster and the readers of the Chard and Ilminster News a happy New Year!

2015 will, of course , be a year of change for many of us with the General Election and elections for district, town and parish councils.

Some of the Ilminster town councillors are being asked if they will be standing for office again.

Councillors are also being told of individuals who are planning to stand for election in May.

I would recommend to all such individuals that they find out as much as possible about what it means to be a councillor.

The town council has been asked to provide information on the subject and to that end a presentation is being prepared – and as soon as the date is set more information will be provided.

Basically, the town council normally meets every Tuesday evening.

Prior to the meeting, councillors are provided with papers on the various topics to be discussed and they are expected to have read those documents before the meeting.

In addition, councillors will sometimes be asked to represent the council at committee meetings or outside organisations.

They may also be asked to join subgroups of the council’s own committees.

None of this work is paid – it is a volunteer role. One other important fact to remember is that once having been elected a councillor is there to serve the community as a whole.

The election in May has resulted in some residents asking the question: ‘Should the town council continue to take decisions?’ With key decisions being taken, I can understand why some people in the town have asked the question.

However, it should be remembered that the town council is a democratic body elected four years ago to represent the residents of Ilminster.

As such, during that time , the council is empowered to mak e decisions for the community on the basis of a simple majority.

Just because some members of the public or individual councillors might not agree with a policy or a proposal is not a reason to delay or defer decisions just in case an election at some point in the future might take a different viewpoint.