Parish Council

Background

Parish councils in England and Wales provide the third, but independent level, of local government, below county and district councils. They usually cover an area similar to that served by their local parish church, in parishes of 200 or more electors. Parish councils were first established by the Local Government Act of 1894 and today they are responsible for managing parish funds and providing local amenities such as monuments, playing fields, footpaths and churchyards - although they should not be confused with parochial church councils, which are directly concerned with church matters. Parish councils may impose a limited local rate, or precept, which is collected on their behalf by the district council as part of the Council Tax.

Parish councillors have to live in their parish and are elected every four years. They are all volunteers and receive no pay for their service. The only official to receive a salary is the parish council's clerk, who deals with all the administrative matters and acts as an adviser to the councillors. The clerk is not allowed to vote at meetings, but he or she is empowered to make certain decisions on the councillors' behalf, and provides a vital link between the parish council and other agencies or public bodies. The Clerk is also the Responsible Financial Officer for the Council.

Parish councils are publicly accountable and parishioners are entitled to attend all meetings, although there are some confidential matters which may be discussed by councillors in camera. Most parish councils meet once a month, usually in a school hall, community centre, church hall or other public room in their parish. Of all local government bodies, it is parish councils which are closest to the electorate and, therefore, have the greatest interest in local concerns. Because the councillors live in their parishes they are close to what goes on and should be able to find out about the things that really matter to parishioners. Although they have no power over district or county council decisions on issues such as planning, library closures, traffic problems or local public transport, they are able to pass on their opinions and these can sometimes influence the decision makers at a higher level.

Deddington Parish Council

Deddington Parish Council covers the villages of Deddington, Clifton and Hempton. The first parish council in Deddington was formed in 1895. Currently, meetings are held on the third Wednesday of every month at 7.30pm, except for August when there is usually no meeting. The meetings are rotated across the Parish; meetings will be at either the Windmill Centre, Town Hall or Holly Tree Club.  Once a year meetings are held in Hempton Church Hall and we are delighted to announce that we now have permission to hold meetings in Clifton at The Duke of Cumberland's Head Inn.

Council membership is:

Council Working Groups

Most of the council's work is carried out by its working groups (and details of projects are given), in the latest Parish Council report. The initials of current members are shown in brackets and their areas of responsibility are:

PC representation on local groups/organsations:
1. Youth Club - MS
2. Allotments
3. Deddington Charity  Estates - HO/JD
4. Windmill Management Committee – JF (and AC for any renewable energy development)
5. Schools - JR
6. Deddington On-Line – HW
7. Farmers Market
8. Deddington Festival
9. NAG – Mr Keats
10. CPRE - JR

The council Chairman and Vice-Chairman are ex officio on all committees.

Deddington has actively encouraged parishioners not only to attend meetings but also to address them. Several years ago councillors announced that parishioners with something to say about local issues would be given five minutes at the start of the meeting, providing they let the clerk know in advance. In July 1998 councillors took this a step further and agreed to allocate 10 minutes at the beginning of each meeting for the public to ask questions and have their say, without giving prior notice. This was a popular decision in the parish, and rarely a month goes past without someone taking advantage of it. Topics raised so far include unofficial road signs and advertising boards, traffic problems, horse fouling on footpaths, rubbish in gutters, a variety of planning concerns and, increasingly, environmental-related issues.

With more than £500,000 in the parish coffers the council views the prudent mangement of parish funds as a priority and the bulk of the capital is invested safely in short term deposits with institutions that are independently assessed as having a high level of credit worthiness). Local groups and organisations are entitled to apply for grants or loans (for capital projects but generally not for running costs) and the parish council also supports a variety of causes, such as the library and the youth club. Small grants are also made each autumn to local students who are going into higher education.

Major matters dealt with by the council this year include:

Parking

As a result of continuing complaints and concerns about parking in the parish, particularly in the Market Place, the council set up a subgroup to assess current parking trends in consultation with villagers and local businesses. The group carried out a survey of where cars park and for how long and its findings were that parking problems were largely caused by local workers, who park for long periods during the day. This topic is once more under active consideration by the council.

Parish Plan

A working group was established with the aim of producing a Parish Plan and a number of public meetings were held in order to explain its objectives and to seek views from parishioners about their needs for the future. Following parish-wide consultations and analysis of completed questionnaires, the council issued the latest Parish Plan in October 2007.

Highways Issues

The perennial problems of speeding and road safety continue to occupy much of the councilÕs time. The council has arranged for the installation of two variable activated speed signs which draw attention to excessive speed. It is also consulting with the highways authority to see what can be done to improve crossing points on the A4260.

Council Involvement in Local Charities

The parish council is represented on the committees that manage Deddington Charity Estates and the Windmill Centre, both of which are registered charities. It is also the sole trustee of the castle grounds charity and custodian trustee of the Holly Tree Club

The centre is a remarkable resource for a parish the size of Deddington and provides meeting rooms for a wide range of clubs and societies inside, as well as several acres of playing fields, a bowling green and pavilion, cricket pitch and pavilion, football pitches, tennis courts and pavilion, a children's play area and an all-weather court. The primary aim of the Holly Tree Club is to promote the welfare of older people in the parish; this it achieves via regular meetings, especially of coffee mornings and meetings of the Deddington Ladies and the Deddington WI; it also provides useful space for exhibitions by local artists. The castle grounds is a delightful and sizeable public recreation ground and open space which, over the years, has been used in a variety of ways such as festivities and football matches.

Parish Council Minutes

The minutes of the Parish Council are available online.

Contacts

Clerk: Clerk's Office, Windmill Centre, Hempton Road, Deddington, Tel/Fax: 01869 337447 (there is an answerphone). Email parishcouncil@deddington.net. The office is open 5.30 - 7.30pm on Mondays, 1-5pm on Wednesdays, 9am - 1pm on Thursdays and 9.30 - 11.30 on Saturdays.

Other Local Council Contacts

• Cherwell District Council
• Oxfordshire Country Council
• National and Local Government information
• Oxfordshire Association of Local Councils. Tel 01865 883488, email oalc@ruralnet.org.uk