Council Tax is made up of 4 elements – Derbyshire County Council, High Peak Borough Council, Derbyshire Constabulary and where a town has one, the Town Council (us). The first three elements are the same across the county, that is, every household pays the same amount in each band. These three authorities control how much this is. The town council bit is called the ‘Precept’ and is controlled by the Town Council.

We would get money allocated from HPBC and take over the running of various facilities from them. (Including but not exclusively: public toilets, parks, cemeteries, etc.) The role of Town Councillor is unpaid, and there are various ways of obtaining further investment in Buxton from a score of other sources. At present, HPBC very often fails to apply (or misses the deadline) for that funding because Buxton is but a small part of the High Peak and funding only benefits Buxton and not the High Peak in general.

As a group we also have some ideas to raise funds for Buxton by ‘thinking outside the box.’ Some improvements would be done in the short term, so that residents could see change, then there would be medium and long-term projects. A short-term project would typically be opening up a hardly used Town Hall to local groups. A medium-term project would be sports facilities being replaced such as the ones destroyed by fire on Fairfield. A typical long-term project would be the reinstatement of The High Path opposite Ashwood Park.

Obviously, there may also be a small increase in Council Tax. However that could be kept to a minimum given that for most projects we would be looking for funding elsewhere.

Council meetings are open to the public. Please check the agenda to find out where the meeting will take place.

At some meetings, there can be confidential items discussed where members of the public are asked to leave the meeting before these items can be discussed.

At some council meetings, there is a short section of the meeting open for public participation. If you attend a meeting, the chair of the meeting will ask if any members of the public wish to speak.

Town councillor is a voluntary role. Members receive no pay or allowances. The chair/mayor has a yearly allowance which is used to meet expenses in carrying out the role and support local organisations and initiatives.

Local councillors are elected by the community to decide how the council should carry out its various activities. They represent public interest as well as individuals living within the ward in which he or she has been elected to serve a term of office.

A councillor’s primary role is to represent their ward and the people who live in it. Councillors provide a bridge between the community and the council. As well as being an advocate for local residents and signposting them to the right people at the council, they will keep you informed about issues that may affect you.

As a local councillor, they are expected to:

• respond to your queries and investigate your concerns (casework)

• communicate council decisions that affect you

• know your patch and be aware of any problems

• know and work with representatives of local organisations, interest groups and businesses

• represent your views at council meetings

• lead local campaigns on your behalf.

Councillors are collectively responsible for making council policy, for which they are accountable to the electorate. They are recognised nationally as the level of local government closest to people.

You can find out more about local government here: https://www.local.gov.uk/