The Town Council offices are located in the centre of St Just on Market Street.
The Town Council is composed of 12 councillors who are either elected or co-opted on to the Council for a four year term of office. A councillor who is elected or co-opted between elections serves out the term of the person he / she has replaced.
The overriding duty and accountability of councillors is to their constituents within the parish, including those who did not vote for them. The next town and parish council elections in Cornwall will be held in May 2025. All councillors must follow the Code of Conduct to ensure high standards in the way they undertake their duties. Failure to comply with the Code of Conduct can lead to a complaint being made to the Standards Committee of Cornwall Council.
All councillors meet together as the Council. Meetings of the Council are normally open to the public and are held in St Just Library and Town Council, Market Street, St Just on the second and fourth Monday’s, except during August when the Council is in recess. All meetings of the Council begin at 7.15 p.m.
The Municipal Year runs from 1st April to 31 March. The period of office of the Mayor starts at the Annual Meeting of the Council which is held in May (except in the year of an election). The Mayor stays in office until his / her successor is appointed. The Town Council is also obliged to hold an Annual Parish Meeting which is held on the same evening as the Annual Meeting of the Town Council but is separate from it to which all local government electors for the parish are entitled to attend, speak and vote.
Council meetings are by law published in advance (at least three clear working days before) and are open to the public to attend, except where personal and / or confidential matters are being discussed.
The Town Council employs two members of staff on a part-time basis. The Town Clerk is also the Responsible Financial Officer and is responsible for ensuring that the correct statutory and financial procedures are followed, manages the day-to-day operation of the Council, prepares the minutes for approval by the Council, implements the Council’s decisions and keeps proper accounting records in accordance with Accounts and Audit Regulations 2003 and must ensure that the accounts balance at the end of the financial year. The Town Clerk is assisted by a Clerical Assistant.
Publication Scheme
The Town Council has adopted the Model Publication Scheme for Local Councils (Core Classes of Information) from 1st January 2009.