Weldon Parish Council
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What is a Parish Council?
The parish/town council is the tier of local government closest to the people.
A parish/town council represents the concerns of the local community. It is an elected body made up of local people representing the interests of the community.
Before 1894, for many years, the affairs of the parishes had been administered by a vestry, or meeting of the village inhabitants. Inevitably these meetings were dominated by the squire, the parson and the principal ratepayers and some became ‘select vestries’, only open to those people deemed ‘suitable’ to serve. In many parishes, particularly
rural ones, the system worked perfectly well, in others it was virtually non-existent or very inefficient.
For a variety of reasons, including a general movement towards greater ‘democracy’; and a desire to break the power of the Church of England over the lives of nonconformists and non-believers, a Bill was promoted to create Parish Councils.
After a difficult passage through parliament and many amendments, this Bill became an Act in 1894. Its effect was to transfer all non ecclesiastical functions from the church to the elected Parish Councils. Some other functions were added, such as those relating to the burial of the dead, which had, many years before, been vested in Burial Boards, an early form of QUANGO.
There were many anomalies and difficulties encountered in the years between 1894 and 1972, when the present basic Local Government Act came into being. A full and very entertaining account of these years can be found in the above quoted book.
Much has changed since 1894, despite the impression given by the 'The Vicar of Dibley '
TV series. Parish Councils are closely regulated and the amount of administrational bureaucracy and red tape has increased exponentially in the past few years, with an accompanying rise in costs of audit and insurance. On the other hand, with lines of responsibility more clearly drawn, there now appears to be no general animosity towards the church and some villages still have the parson on the Parish Council.
That is, if s/he has the time to spare, because the church has also changed considerably, with greatly enlarged parishes, few curates and the same problem with red tape and mountains of post.
Powers and Responsibilities of Parish Councils
The Local Government Act, 1972, is the one most often referred to when describing the modern powers and responsibilities of Parish Councils but it is augmented by many earlier and later Acts, such as The Criminal Justice and Public Order, Act 1994, which, on the face of it, would not appear to relate to Parish Councils but which gave them a long needed ability to pay for measures to combat crime and the fear of crime in villages.
Parish Councils may only spend public money on projects or actions for which they have a Statutory Power. Breaking this rule is likely to result in a PC’s accounts being refused by the auditor and, possibly, the individual councillors being required to repay the money illegally expended.
There is still, as there was in 1894, only one power which the Parish Council must consider using and that is to provide allotments for the labouring poor, if asked for them. All other powers are voluntary - the Parish Council is not obliged to exercise them and indeed the majority would find it difficult to raise enough money to exercise them
all on a permanent basis.
Parish Councils are empowered to raise money for their activities through a tax
(the 'precept') on the village residents which is collected on their behalf by the District Council, as an addition to the District and County Council Tax. This is then paid to the Parish Council.
What powers does a Parish Council have?
Parish and town councils have a wide range of powers but little in the way of actual duties which include
:
• Management of allotments
• Provision of recreational areas
• Crime prevention measures
• Traffic calming
• Commenting on planning applications
• Liaison and consultation with the Borough Council and the County Council on matters that affect the village and the community
Weldon Parish Council
On 4 November 1894 53 parochial residents attended a meeting to form a Parish Council. Seven Members were elected – Arthur Stokes, Thomas Ewart, Frederick S Lanum,
George Ed Eyers, Thomas Spendlove, Henry March and John Phillips.
A month later the first meeting of Little Weldon Parish Council was held and Councillor Arthur Stokes was elected as the first Chairman.
The Minutes show that Councillor Stokes gratefully acknowledged the honour shown him and alluded to the great powers placed upon the Councillors. He gave a lucid description of the Act and trusted that the work done by the Councillors during their term of office would be one of faithful stewardship.
Today Weldon Parish Council comprises 11 elected Councillors supported by a part-time paid Officer – the Clerk/Responsible Financial Officer.
