Archdioceses of St Andrews and Edinburgh
PPC CONSTITUTION
The role of the Parish Council is to assist the Parish Priest in the discharge of his parish duties and activities, subject to his supervision and overall control.
Membership
- All Parishioners shall be eligible to become members of the Parish Council.
- Elections shall be arranged to enable Parishioners as far as possible to choose their own representatives and with provision for representatives of Parish Organizations.
- Election to the Council shall be for a period of two years or such other period as may from time to time be agreed. Members will be eligible for re-election. Any member who is absent from two or more consecutive meetings of the Council without good reason shall, at the option of the Executive of the Council be deemed to have resigned.
- The Council shall have power to appoint members from Parishioners who are not members of the Council. In event of a vacancy in membership or office bearers occurring between elections, the President, in consultation with the Executive, will have the right to nominate a person to fill such vacancy who will hold office until the next election.
Office Bearers and Executive
- The Office Bearers who shall ex officio be members of the Council, shall consist of a President who shall be the Parish Priest, a Chairman appointed annually by the President from amongst the Parishioners, a Secretary and such other Office Bearers as may be required by the Council for the furtherance of its work, to be appointed annually by the Council.
- The President shall have a general right of supervision over all the work of the Council and shall be ex officio a member of the Executive and of all other committees of the Council.
- The Chairman will preside at all meetings of the Council and the Executive. In his absence, the meeting will elect a Chairman from amongst its members.
- The Executive of the Council shall consist of the Office Bearers and the Conveners of Committees appointed by the Council.
Meetings
- The Council shall meet at least three times a year. Emergency meetings may be called by the President, the Executive, or on the request of five members to the Chairman. At least one weeks notice of all meetings will be given.
- A quorum shall consist of one-third of membership.
- The Council shall hold an Annual General Meting at which the Chairman will be nominated and Office Bearers elected and at which the Council will give an account of their activities during the year and furnish a report to the whole Parish. The date of the Annual General Meeting shall be determined by the Council.
- If voting at any Meeting is equal, the Chairman will have a casting vote in addition to a personal vote.
Committees
- The Council will set up such Committees as they consider necessary for the furtherance of their work and appoint a Convener of each Committee, who shall be an officer or member of the Parish Council.
- The Committees shall have power to co-opt members from Parishioners who are not members of the Council.