Editor notes for clerk: To add/edit councillor info, follow our guidance. To edit the ‘become a councillor’ text, please email us at digital@staffordshire.gov.uk
Our councillors
Chairman of the Council - Cllr. Val Jones
Thank you I am proud to have been elected to Bridgtown Parish in May 2019. I have lived in Cannock for 40 years and spent the last few years of my NHS career as Chief Nurse for the Cannock and Stafford Clinical Commissioning Groups. Prior to this as a midwife and health visitor working within local communities I often needed to act as an advocate for local issues. I also worked abroad caring for soldiers and their families when my husband was in the Army. I loved being in public service and since my retirement I do voluntary work with the Stafford & Cannock Hospital League of Friends, helping them to provide assurance for their charity status and the services they provide. On a personal note I enjoy using my bicycle round Bridgtown and going on motorbike holidays with my husband. I will work hard to ensure that the interests of all Bridgtown residents are represented. As Chair of the Parish Council it is my responsibility to see that we make best use of the resources available to the Council for the benefit of our residents.
Cllr. Kevin Whittaker - Vice Chairman
I would like to introduce myself. I am currently a Councillor for Bridgtown Parish Council of 6 yrs. my name is Kevin Whittaker, I started my working life in the Army straight from school 1976 till 1981. I have had various jobs the latest being for a furniture manufacturer in Dudley. I have been linked to Bridgtown in one form or another since 1974 as my step mother lived in a terraced house on the Walsall Rd that is now gone, I regularly played dominoes at the Bridgtown Memorial Social Club that is now flats. Bridgtown is close to my heart.
Cllr. Paul Snape
As well as being your Parish Councillor, I am also your County Councillor and the Vice Chairman of Staffordshire County Council. I am a member of the Poplars Landfill Liaison Committee and the County Planning Committee.
Over the past 4 years, I have supported Bridgtown and our residents with my Staffordshire County Councillor additional funds. Projects I have assisted include: improvements to Road Safety across Bridgtown, an ECO Project at the School, a Memorial Garden and a new gym for our RMP Soldiers, as well as improvements to our roads and footpaths. I am proud to have been able to help.
Cllr. Peter Kruskonjic
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Peter Kruskonjic and I was elected as a Parish Councillor for Bridgtown at the last local elections. I am a local man, being born and bred in Cannock, and having attended the local High School and Technical College. I have friends who live and who have worked in Bridgtown, on occasions I have socialised with them at both the Stumble Inn and Bridgtown Social Club. I’m a member of the Community Speed Watch team, the Dementia Awareness Group and I support the Stroke Association. I have the interests of all Bridgtown residents at heart and I’m determined to help and support the community wherever I can.
Cllr. Robert Eccleston
Worked locally for most my life. Married to Theresa moved to Bridgtown in 1985, from Heath Hayes. Two daughters both attended Bridgtown Primary. Working to make Bridgtown a community to be proud of.
Our staff
How to become a councillor
A parish council is the tier of local authority closest to its community as it elects representatives from within that community. Parish councils are democracy on your doorstep. Anyone can stand as a candidate provided they meet the qualification requirements or you can find out more by contacting the local borough electoral services department.
You should be:
- Aged over 18.
- A British, Commonwealth citizen, or Euro-national citizen (who is a registered elector)
- Resident for 12 months prior to the day of election – either in the parish or within 3 miles of the boundary.
- Occupied land or premises for 12 months as owner or tenant – either in the parish or within 3 miles of the boundary
- Had a principal place of work – either in the parish or within 3 miles of the boundary.
You cannot become a councillor if:
- You hold a paid office with the council.
- If you are subject to a bankruptcy restrictions order or an interim order creates disqualification which dates from the judgement or execution and generally ends one year after the relevant order is made.
- If you have within five years before the election or since election been convicted in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man of any offence and been sentenced to not less than three months imprisonment (whether suspended or not) without the option of a fine.
- Imprisonment probably includes any type of custodial sentence.
- This disqualification begins when the ordinary period for making an appeal is finally dismissed or abandoned or fails for want of prosecution.
You can get further information from the Staffordshire Parish Councils’ Association.