What We Do and How We Work

What We Do and How We Work

What We Do

Parish councils are set up by an Act of Parliament as the first tier of Local Government.

We do not work for either district or county Councils and do not (and cannot) compete with them for any of the services they already offer.

However, there are many other things we can do, as given in specific Powers through Acts of Parliament. We also have a general power to spend on anything to benefit our community, with limits on the amount we can spend and provided the benefit is commensurate to the community.

So what does the Council actually do? There are three main headings.

Planning

We have a legal right to be consulted on planning applications, within the Parish and to express our views. We do not make decisions on planning, this is done by the Planning Auhtority through its planning committee and officers. Any comment we do make will have no impact unless it is a material consideration, in other words, it relates to the legal framework for planning and the Local Development Framework.

Maintenance

The Parish Council has maintenance responsibilities that continue every year, these include grass cutting, maintenance of the play areas and general maintenance. We review the spend on these and always aim to operate at the best cost to the parish.

New Initiatives

Anyone can suggest new things the Parish Council might do. Before it can be discussed, it must be added to the agenda of a parish council meeting, giving everyone the opportunity to be aware of new proposals.

How We work

We need people from all backgrounds and experiences who reflect the communities they serve to put themselves forward. You don’t need any experience or special qualifications. Your life experience, everyday skills, passion and commitment to people and communities are vital, and it’s important that councils reflect the local population. 

To be a councillor you need to be:  

• British or a citizen of the Commonwealth. You may also be eligible as a citizen of the European Union, however the criteria has changed now that the UK has left the European Union. Please check on the gov.uk website for advice about EU citizens’ voting and candidacy rights in local elections
• At least 18 years old
• Registered to vote in the area or have lived, worked, or owned property there for at least 12 months before an election

You can’t be a councillor if you:  

• Work for the council you want to be a councillor for, you can work for another local authority as long as you are not in a political restricted post
• Are the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order or interim order
• Have been sentenced to prison for three months or more (including suspended sentences) during the five years before election day
• Have been convicted of a corrupt or illegal practice by an election court
• Are subject to any relevant notification requirements, or a relevant order, in respect of a sexual offence

The Parish Council must hold at least four meetings in every 12 months; one of these must be an annual council meeting at which the Chair and Responsible Financial Officer are appointed. There is also the Annual Parish Meeting for everyone in the parish to attend; this can be a good opportunity to present what the Council has been up to and to receive comments from parishioners.

Councillors are required (summoned) to attend parish council meetings. They must declare if they will benefit from any decision the council makes and leave the meeting while the matter is discussed.

All new councillors are given training, presented by the Suffolk Association of Local Councils (SALC), and a range of training opportunties is available for all councillors at any time.

All parish council meetings are open to the public. 

The Chair's role is to ensure the meetings run smoothly. They have no more power than any other councillor, otherthan an additional vote on decisions where the vote is tied.

There are a few other duties the Parish Council must do, including:

• appoint a parish clerk ( a professional who helps the council do its work and stay within the legislative rules but who has no say in the decisions). The parish clerk will be an employee of the council
• have the accounts audited, internal and external
• appoint a responsible financial officer (RFO), in our case the parish clerk
• set an annual budget and precept. The precept is the money collefcted through the council tax but is not controlled by the district or county councils.