Parish Council
What is a Parish Council? | Role of the Clerk | Meetings | Special Meetings | Planning Applications | Councillor Contact Details | Meetings, Documents & Records | Policies & Procedures
What is a Parish Council?
The 1894 Local Government Act established Parish Councils making them the lowest tier of government in law with particular statutory responsibilities and duties. Walsham le Willows Parish Council is an elected body with seven seats filled by Walsham le Willows residents whose primary function is to ensure that the Parish is efficiently and economically run using a proportion of the annual Council Tax income.
This tier of local government had more responsibilities placed upon it due to the introduction of the Localism Act of 2011 and the Audit and Accountability Act of 2014.
It is a common misconception that Parish Councillors are paid for their work but the role is a voluntary and unpaid. Once elected Parish Councillors are required to sign an ‘acceptance of office’ and then to declare any relevant interests. The Register of Interests is publicly searchable. Parish Councillors are also required to sign up to a Code of Conduct as adopted by the Council.
Broad responsbilities are some of which are summarised below.
- Sports and Recreational Facilities
- Playgrounds and Play Equipment
- Street lighting
- Street cleansing
- Statutory consultations on planning issues, working to influence Planning Authority decisions, based on Councillors local knowledge
- Ensuring that the adopted Walsham le Willows Neighbourhood Development Plan reflects the shared vision for its neighbourhood.
You can find more information about Parish Councils on the gov.uk web site, The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) the Communities, Parish and Local Councils (CPALC) web site, and this Wikipedia page.
Role of Clerk
The Parish Clerk is a statutory office holder fulfiling the role of “Proper Officer” and takes responsibility for the administration of the Council’s affairs having the key role of advising the council, and its members, on governance, ethical and procedural matters including the maintenance of the Council’s Standing Orders, Financial Regulations and Risk Register. The Clerk is registered as an employee of the Council with HMRC.
The Clerk prepares and posts notices, is responsible for writing the agenda and minutes, keeps the council’s records, and deals with all correspondence. As the RFO, the clerk produces the Annual Budget and issues the Precept and Grant Requests, produces the quarterly/annual budget monitoring reports, prepares all payments for authorisation, prepares the final accounts and supporting documents required by the Council’s auditors, and arranges the council’s insurance.
The Clerk is not answerable to any individual councillor, including the chairman, and is an independent employee of the council, recognising that the council is responsible for all decisions and taking instruction from the council as a body. If the council has other members of staff then the clerk is their line manager.
Meetings
Parish Council meetings are open to the public. Anyone can attend to observe and make representations to councillors by invitation of the Chair under the usual ‘Public Open Forum’ agenda item. Members of the public are unable to take part in any other part of the meeting unless specifically invited by the Chair to comment on a particular agenda item on which they have some expertise. Sometimes the Parish Council may invite people to participate because they have some particular knowledge and expertise that would be helpful in the Council’s deliberations.
A minumum of four meetings must be held each year. Walsham Parish Council meets on the second Wednesday of each month in the Memorial Hall from 7pm. The May meeting is the Annual Meeting. If you are interested to listen or speak at the meetings, do please come along.
If you would prefer not to attend in person you can submit a representation or question to the clerk by post or email.
At least three clear days notice is given of each meeting by a posting on the notice board near the post box in front of the Bowling Club and on this webpage.
Special annual meetings
Annual Meeting of the Parish Council (AMPC)
The Annual Meeting of the Parish Council has to be held on any day in May other than election years (next 2023) when it must be held on the 4th day after election day or within 14 days thereof. In practice, Walsham convenes this meeting on the usual second Tuesday of the month unless proscribed otherwise by the date of the quadrennial local elections. Like all Parish Council meetings it is a public meeting.
At the Annual Meeting the first business has to be the election of the Chairman and vice-chairman. The Chair signs a Declaration of Acceptance (of office). Committee members and representatives are also appointed to other bodies. And there is a list of annual housekeeping items on the agenda. The rest of this meeting follows the usual format.
In an election year all councillors are re-elected, including Chair and Vice-Chair and all sign a Declaration of Acceptance of office.
The Annual Meeting of the Parish (AMP)
If you are new to the village, want to meet people and find out more about village organisations, and the work of the Parish Council, come along to the Annual Parish Meeting in the form of a relaxed and informal Question Time and a chance for the community of the Parish to get together.
The Annual Parish Meeting (APM) is an annual ‘assembly of the Parish’ which can be held on any day from 1st March to 1st June inclusive with 7 days public notice. This is not a meeting of the Parish Council but of the electorate and there is no prescribed format. Electors can contribute to the agenda and these meetings are often used to celebrate local activities and debate current issues in the community. Representatives of village organisations are welcome to attend to promote their work.
The chairman of the council, any two councillors or any six electors can call the Annual Parish Meeting. Councillors do not have to attend but it is good practice to do so along with the Chairman who will preside if present and will usually give an annual report on the work of the Parish Council.
The format of this meeting has been evolving to encourage more attendance. Following the successful 2023 meeting this format will be kept and developed further.
The Parish Council will set priorities for the year following each annual meeting of the parish so come and feedback on any matters of concern, suggestions and ideas; or send in by email or post. The Parish Council provides refreshments for the event (tea and cake and non-alchohoic beverages).
Parish Council and Planning Applications
The only requirements in law on the Local Planning Authority (LPA), Babergh & Mid-Suffolk District Council, are for notification to the Parish Council of planning applications and to take any representations into account. This does not mean that the LPA will decide an application as the Parish Council have indicated.
The LPA is only entitled to take into account planning related matters when considering an application and has access to more information than the Parish Council.
The LPA will receive advice from their professional officers on how an application should be dealt with. A Parish Council usually does not take such advice, not least because of the potential expense that ultimately falls to the Council Tax levy.
The LPA must take into account the representations of others as well as a Parish Council, especially the observations of consultees, both statutory and non-statutory, neighbours of a development, and the applicant.
Whilst the representations from a Parish Council are welcomed, and sometime sought, by the LPA, they are not necessarily given any more weight than representations from others e.g neighbours, and indeed will be given less weight than the observations of the statutory consultees, for example, a Highways Officer.
Where there are different opinions, the view of statutory consultees usually stands, because if there is an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate, or a legal challenge from developers, the LPA must be able to support, and defend the reasons for any decision, in law. The way in which planning law works between all the stakeholders in the process is decided by legislation enacted, and as amended over time, by central government. Any concerns with the way planning law operates should be raised with your Member of Parliament. By all means copy in the Parish Council via the Clerk.
The LPA must balance comments from the Parish Council with all the other representations received, and they have restrictions on the way in which they are entitled by law to deal with applications because they must not take into account non-planning related matters in determining an application. The way objections are worded and presented is therefore key to their effectiveness.
Alterations to planning applications are not always advised to the Parish Council because each re-notification delays a decision by 2 to 3 weeks, and the authority has only 8 weeks, in most cases, to determine an application unless an extension of time is agreed by the applicant.
For the Parish Council’s representations to carry weight they must be carefully and coherently expressed as the view of the Parish Council as a ‘corporate body’ rather than individual Parish Councillors. The Parish Council’s formal representations are submitted on the LPA’s planning portal. Anyone can access this portal to follow the progress of a particular application. Unless a detailed response is required the Parish Council comments only to ‘object’, ‘support’ or ‘no comment’.
Through the Localism Act 2011, two new ways in which local councils can influence planning were introduced, one of which was a neighbourhood plan, which having demonstrated its general alignment with the strategic policies of the Local Plan (the process the neighbourhood plan group are currently following) and brought into force (as passed by referendum and adopted by the LPA), takes precedence over existing non-strategic policies in the Local Plan for a neighbourhood. And where these are in conflict it gives local communities more say about where new homes are built and what they should look like.
Babergh Mid Suffolk Planning – all you need to know
BMSDC Planning Portal – accessible to all by registration
Address for written comments on planning applications is:
Planning Department
Endeavour House
Russell Road
Ipswich IP1 2BX
Clearly state the application reference number
If you are interested to learn what does and does not constitute a ‘planning consideration‘ on which an LPA can legally make a decision, read this document.
Contacts
Searchable Register of Interests for Parish Councillors
| Name & Email | Address/Contact | Responsibilities |
|---|---|---|
| Kevin Boardley Clerk 'Responsible Financial Officer' (RFO) | Willow Cottage The Street Walsham le Willows 01359 259 794 | Role of Parish Clerk |
| Councillor Richard Belson Chairman Declaration of Acceptance of Office | Foxglove Cottage Crownland Road Walsham le Willows 01359 258868 | Footpaths Local Heritage Neighbourhood Plan Rep Tree Warden |
| Councillor Ian Bartholomew Vice Chairman Declaration of Acceptance of Office | 2 Upper Meadow Finningham Road Walsham le Willows 01359 258349 | Community Council |
| Councillor Nicholas Mecrow Declaration of Acceptance of Office | Thornaby House Summer Road Walsham le Willows 01359 258243 | Litter Picks Neighbourhood Plan Rep |
| Councillor Trevor Roberts Declaration of Acceptance of Office | Acorn House Chapel Road Wattisfield 01359 251144 | Emergency Planning Community Council Rep Sports Club Rep Get Mapping expert Litter Picks |
| Councillor Nicholas Tuck Declaration of Acceptance of Office | Address in Parish not notified for publication. | Internal Financial Oversight Community Council |
| Councillor Janette Winch Declaration of Acceptance of Office | Riverside The Street Walsham le Willows IP31 3AZ 07572 866 430 | Village Stream |
| Vacant Position |
District, County and National Representatives
| Councillor Richard Winch (Green) | m | 07931 709486 | District Councillor |
| Councillor Jessica Fleming (Conservative) | The Limetrees All Saints Road Creeting St Mary IP6 8PJ w | 01449 711065 m | 07714 597980 | County Councillor |
| Jo Churchill MP (Conservtative) | Constituency Office 10 Hatter Street Bury St Edmunds IP33 1L 01284 752311 House of Commons London SW1A 0AA 020 7219 8487 | Member of Parliament |
Meetings, Documents & Records
Latest published Parish Council Agenda, Minutes, Budget Reconciliation Reports and reports from County and District Councillors. The Minutes are also published each month in the Walsham Observer.
These are public meetings. If you would prefer not to attend in person you can submit a representation or question to the clerk by post or email.
Policies, Procedures & Control Documents
These documents are reviewed and updated annually. There are also some informational documents on the role of a Councillor, elections and legal spending powers.
Use the search box here to find items based on any text in the table below.