The Parish Council's Role

The Parish Council is the first of the three tiers of Local Government, the other two being the County Council and District Council. Twelve councillors are elected every four years and the next Election will be held in May 2011.
Councillors work voluntarily but the Clerk is paid for 22 hours per week and provides all the administrative support required.

The Council meets in public on the second Thursday monthly (except in August); additional meetings are held as required. At the beginning of each meeting an Open Forum gives parishioners an opportunity to raise issues with the Council. Our County and District Councillors usually attend the meetings to report on matters of interest and they often liaise with their respective councils on our behalf.

In April an Annual Parish Meeting is held when the Chairman reports to parishioners; there are also reports from our Community Constable and County and District Councillors.

What does the Parish Council do?

The Parish Council is a statutory local authority in its own right, having a wide variety of powers and duties conferred by many statutes and as such undertakes a vital role within the local government system, the importance of which should not be under-estimated by the community. The Council works closely with our County and District Councils and other bodies to ensure the needs of the Parish and its residents are not overlooked.

Many parishioners are unaware of the broad range of statutory powers, duties and procedures which provide the legal framework for the Council’s business and conduct. Briefly the Council’s role can be described as follows:-

Executive:
The power of decision in accordance with statutory functions and duties.

Representation:
For example expressing views about planning issues and consultation documents, representation on the Harbour Authority, WIC Hall and Village Hall committees and other relevant organisations, both locally and countywide.

Promotional:
Taking the lead on issues affecting the interests of the area, eg. highways, footpaths, general maintenance, trees, etc.

Financial:
The power to raise a precept from the local inhabitants and make financial decisions which will benefit the community. The precept is collected with the Council Tax by the District Council. The Council’s income and expenditure is very closely monitored and the Accounts are audited annually by independent Auditors.

For information about the Council's Meetings, please click here...


Freedom of Information Act 2000

For more details of the information available from the Parish Council, please click here