Paull Parish Council consists of eleven elected representatives plus a Parish Clerk, which is a non-elected position. Elections are part of the British democratic electoral system and are held every four years providing sufficient nominations are received by the County Council to enable an election to take place; these usually coincide with County Council elections and even on occasion with national by-elections or General Elections. Any adult over the age of 18 who is resident in Paull Parish, works there or owns property there is eligible both to run for office and also to vote, providing they are listed on the electoral roll.*

If there are insufficient nominees at an election then those nominees who have been put forward are appointed as councillors. Should there still be any vacancies, or if vacancies occur during the council's term of office, then these are advertised by posters and in the press and anyone eligible (see above) can apply. If there are more applicants than vacancies then an election will be held. If a vacancy or vacancies remain unfilled, the Parish Council has the power to co-opt a councillor. Councillors who fail to attend six monthly meetings in any twelve month period are assumed to have left the council by default, and their place will be advertised as a vacancy.

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Paull's Parish Council meetings are held on the evening of the first Wednesday in each month apart from August, this being the month when many Councillors are away on holiday. There is also an Annual Parish Meeting which usually takes place immediately before the May Parish Council meeting. Additional meetings may be called when needed and the day may not necessarily be a Wednesday. All meetings of the Council are open to the public and press, although confidential items occasionally arise from which the public and press are excluded. Members of the public may not take part in the discussion unless invited to speak by the Chairman. They also may not vote on council matters.

In addition to council meetings, councillors may also be called on to attend meetings of other committees, organisations etc. outside of Paull but of direct relevance to the Parish Council and the village. Most councillors are members of one or more of these committees and give their time freely : see individual entries on the Councillors page (link on the site menu on the left of this page) for the wide variety of responsibilites undertaken by the Parish Councillors

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Parish Councils are the smallest unit of local government in England (Scotland and Wales have Community Councils, which are not quite the same) and all Parish Councillors are volunteers, that is, they receive no pay or recompense for their time and services. In addition, to date no Paull Parish Councillor has claimed expenses for work undertaken on behalf of the council and parish although technically they can.

Parish Councils have many legal powers - if you'd like to see the complete list just click here - but in practice, Paull Parish Council's budget is limited by the amount of the annual precept and covers mainly the allotments, bus shelters, seats, grass-cutting, maintaining the war memorial and village amenity areas (next to the old fish-and-chip shop and at the corner of Turpit Lane) and in future years, an extension to the churchyard as a burial ground. The Council also has representatives on several local industry community forums : BP, Nippon Gohsei, Saltend Co-Generation and Yorkshire Water, and on the East Riding Conservation Consultative Committee.

The Parish Council considers all planning applications received from the East Riding of Yorkshire Council planning department, and after discussion, conveys their opinions back to them as the planning authority. The final decision, however, rests with the County Council planning department. The Parish Council also considers and comments on planning policies.

Paull Parish Council has a representative on Paull School's Board of Governors and the Village Hall committee, and all councillors are trustees of the Village Hall Trust. For a full list of individual councillors' roles and responsibilities, see the Councillors page (link on the site menu on the left of this page.)

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*The electoral register/electoral roll lists the name and address of everyone who has registered to vote. Every year the County Council sends out a form to every household, which has to be filled in with details of those eligible to vote and then returned. If you are not on the electoral roll then you won't be able to vote so you should check the roll (the Parish Clerk has a copy which you can ask to see): if you aren't on it and should be, contact the County Council.

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