RESIDENTS in Redhouse are being asked to take the opportunity to make the most of their community.

Blunsdon Parish Council, which covers much of North Swindon, has seen many of its councillors for the Redhouse area leave for other commitments in recent months, leaving five vacancies available.

Now the chairman of the parish council is calling on residents to come forward and help to shape their community.

Ian Jankinson said: “Due to outside commitments we suddenly have five vacancies which we are looking to fill in the Redhouse Area.

“It is extremely important we have representatives from this area. It often gets forgotten that Redhouse forms part of the parish but it is a very important area.”

Ian says that while the work is often not glamorous, parish councils have an extremely important function to play so it is important there are local people involved.

“A parish councillor acts as on the ground intelligence for the community. They are able to see what the issues are and what needs to be done,” he said.

“The parish council works towards keeping the community safe. We work closely with the police and other agencies to deal with any problems. We also work with the borough councillors on issues like litter and keeping verges tidy.

“The work is important. Last year we spent £125,000 keeping the parish running.”

Ian is keen to get out the message that the parish council is not an exclusive organisation and wants to see a wide variety join the organisation.

“It is also not a huge commitment to join the parish council. There are two meetings every month so there are no more than 24 commitments.

“At the moment we have only one woman on the council so it would be nice to increase representation there.

“Members of the parish council also tend to only be from an older generation so it would be nice to see more younger people looking to join us.

“It would be a fantastic opportunity for the youth to have their say on issues in the area they live in.”

  • If anyone is interested in joining the Blunsdon Parish Council, or would like to find out more information, contact the clerk on 01793 705617 or email contact@blunsdonparishcouncil.co.uk