Election Season: Would you like to represent your community in Co Clare?
There’s a good bit of talk about elections at the moment, with Local and EU elections coming up in May and a General Election on the horizon. What you might not know though is that if you are in a community group in Clare you are eligible to put yourself forward to represent your community on various committees and bodies in Clare through the PPN, read on for more information.
If you believe in the potential of community groups in Clare to make a difference through genuine participation in policy and decision-making, then you should consider standing for election as a PPN Representative. Clare PPN will have a variety of roles becoming vacant over the coming months – this could be your opportunity to put into practice your passion for public participation. Scroll down to the end of this article to see a list of the Clare PPN Rep roles that are, or will soon be, vacant.
We plan to hold an online meeting and discussion session on Tuesday March 5th at 7pm for people who might be interested in putting themselves forwards as a PPN Rep. There is no commitment needed to attend this meeting – and it’s open to anyone who is interested. To register your interest in this meeting please email admin@clareppn.ie and we’ll make sure you get the link to join us on the night.
Elaine D’Alton, who is a Rep on Clare’s SPC for Economic Development, says: “I love being a Clare PPN Rep, because it give me a sense that the Women’s Collective can actually make a difference, because it means we’re connected to a much bigger entity.” Elaine (pictured above on the left) is involved in Women’s Collective Ireland – Clare, which is a member group of Clare PPN.
Padraic Hayes (pictured second from left), a disability rights activist who’s involved with Clare Leader Forum, says: “I really enjoy being a Clare PPN Rep as it gives me the opportunity to highlight local issues that affect people with disabilities.”
What does a PPN Rep do?
The main purpose of Clare PPN is to enable the hundreds of community and voluntary groups across the county to input into, and have their voices heard in, decision-making and policy formation at Clare County Council. Reps are elected by our member groups to sit on a range of policy committees and other forums covering various aspects of life in the county.
PPN Reps play a crucial role, facilitating communication between community groups and the Council and ensuring that those groups can influence local government policy. Reps are supported in this voluntary role by Clare PPN staff. In a typical year, a PPN Rep will attend four to six committee meetings, and is also expected to attend Clare PPN Plenary meetings.
Check out this 3-minute video which tells you more about what our Reps do:
Who can become a Clare PPN Rep?
Anyone involved with one of Clare PPN’s member groups can stand for election as a Rep. Candidates must be nominated by a Clare PPN member group. In most cases, a Rep position is associated with one of our three pillars or colleges – Community & Voluntary, Social Inclusion and Environmental – and must be nominated by a group from the relevant college.
Clare PPN Reps sit on the following committees and boards:
• Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) for Social Development
• SPC for Economic Development
• SPC for Rural Development
• SPC for Physical Development
• Local Community Development Committee (LCDC)
• Local Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee
• Clare Biodiversity & Heritage Forum
• Joint Policing Committee (JPC)
• Fisheries Local Action Group West
• Clare Sports Partnership
• Clare Rural Development Forum
You can see a full list of our current Reps at this page: Your PPN Reps
Meeting & training session:
We will be having a meeting and training session on March 5th to chat about the upcoming vacancies. Keep an eye out on our social media channels for reminders or register your interest now by emailing admin@clareppn.ie – by the way, we’re now on Instagram as well.
We’ll also inform our member groups by email.
Finally, we’d like to say how much the membership, Secretariat and staff of Clare PPN appreciates the willingness of community-minded people to step forward and give their time freely to represent their communities and the network, we couldn’t do it without you.
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Upcoming vacancies for Clare PPN Rep roles:
We currently have – or soon will have – vacancies for the following roles:
Representing Social Inclusion College:
- Local Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee
- Rural Development Forum
Representing our Community & Voluntary college:
- LCDC
- Rural Development Forum
- Joint Policing Committee
Representing our Environment college:
- Clare Biodiversity & Heritage Forum
- LCDC
- Rural Development Forum