While pundits speculate about the possibility of a snap General Election and borough councillors prepare to defend their seats this May, there is one level of local government that is often over-looked - the parish councils.

There are 41 parish councils or parish meetings in the borough of Maidstone. It is the layer of Government closest to the people and is usually non-party political, with residents choosing to put themselves forward.

Sometimes scoffed at for dealing only with park benches and dog bins, parish councils can undertake a wide range of activities, from running play-schemes, managing village halls, maintaining parks and play areas, and arranging street cleaning and litter picking.

They often act as a conduit to report faults locally to the other responsible authorities. They give the local opinion on all planning applications and with more and more parish councils preparing their own Neighbourhood Plans they will have an increasingly important role in shaping any future development in their community.

Although many councillors are "amateurs" when they first join, they have to act professionally and are subject to the same codes of conduct as borough councillors.

They remain amateur only in the sense that - unlike their borough councillors - they are not paid an allowance.

The degree of work carried out my by parish councillors varies enormously from village to village, but they remain the only local authority whose spending is not capped by the Government, so how much they do is up to them.

Without pay, parish councillors can only be motivated by a desire to serve their communities. They are "elected" every four years, but sadly many parishes struggle to find enough people willing to stand - so often those that do volunteer are "elected" without actually a vote being cast.

This May, there are 17 parish councils in Maidstone due for re-election and 169 seats to fill.

Nominations forms must be downloaded from https://tinyurl.com/parishelect and submitted in person to Maidstone House by Wednesday, April 3.

For advice on how to stand, contact your parish clerk or go directly to Kathy Hildrage, Electoral Services Manager Maidstone council, on 01622 602013.