Ravensthorpe & Coton

Ravensthorpe and Coton Parish Council.    Agendas & Minutes

The Parish Council meets on the third Wednesday of each month, with the exception of August and December.

Meetings are usually held in the Village Hall, The High Street, Ravensthorpe, and members of the public are always welcome to attend.

The Parish Council is required to look at planning applications within the parish prior to their consideration by Daventry District Council, and is responsible for the following facilities:

 Street Lighting 
 Allotments 
 Pocket Park 
 Bus shelter
 Seats and benches 
 Litter bins 
 Dog bins

Councillors and Officers

Mrs Carol Holifield (Clerk)	62 Watford Road, Crick, NN6 7TT
	Tel: 01788 824425
Mrs Diane Hayes (Chairman)	37 Guilsborough Road, Ravensthorpe, NN6 8EW
Dr Richard Marsh (Vice Chairman)	New Barns, 18 High Street, NN6 8EH
Mrs Michaela Bushell	29 Guilsborough Road, Ravensthorpe, NN6 8EW
Mrs Emma Connor	6 Bettycroft Close, Ravensthorpe, NN6 8EL
Mr Timothy Hogben	33 Guilsborough Road, Ravensthorpe, NN6 8EW
Mr Jonathan Jones	Stone House, Coton, NN6 8RG
Mr John Matts	Manor Farm, Guilsborough Rd, Ravensthorpe, NN6 8EW
Mrs Mary Worthington	Mill House, 20 High Street, Ravensthorpe, NN6 8EH

 
Members declared interests 

NOTICE OF CASUAL VACANCIES RAVENSTHORPE WARD AND COTON WARD

 Following the recent co-option of two councillors, Ravensthorpe is now looking to fill one Parish Councillor vacancy. 

 Anyone interested in being co-opted to the Council to fill this vacancy is invited to apply in writing by providing their full contact details and a brief resume as to why they are interested in becoming a Councillor to the Parish Clerk - preferably by email ravensthorpepc@yahoo.co.uk.

Role of the Parish Council

Parish Councils are the most local form of elected government. They are allowed to raise money through a compulsory 'precept' which forms part of the Council Tax and is collected on their behalf by District Councils. Parishes can set their precept at the level of their choice. They can also obtain grants for specific projects from District Councils, Government Departments, and charitable foundations. See Funding for community organisations.

Powers of Parish Councils

The 1965 Royal Commission on Local Government (The Redcliffe-Maude Commission) recommended that local councils should be empowered to do what they pleased for the benefit of their people, and a consequence of this was the important 1972 Local Government Act which removed many of the restrictions on the activities of parish councils. For example, before the 1972 Act, parish councils couldn’t save money from one year to the next in order to fund a major project. This is something all councils have to do these days to avoid having a massive council tax for each year that anything new is attempted. Subsequent legislation has added to parish council powers and now local councils can undertake any of the following things:-

• The provision of allotments.
• Provision of bars and laundrettes.
• Cemeteries, crematoria, maintenance of churchyards and the provision of mortuaries.
• Provision and maintenance of public clocks.
• Provision of any form of public entertainment and of any premises for giving entertainments; this includes maintaining bands or orchestras and providing for dancing.
• The provision of buildings for public meetings and functions, indoor sports, physical recreation, for clubs having recreation, social or athletic objectives.
• The provision and maintenance of footway lighting, which lights roads and pavements.
• The provision of litter bins and the support of anti-litter campaigns.
• The provision and maintenance of public open spaces, pleasure grounds and public walks, public lavatories, car parks, cycle parks, public parks and associated facilities.
• Maintenance of public footpaths and bridleways, planting and maintaining road side verges.
• Maintenance of public seats, shelters for general public use and particularly for bus passengers, erection of signs which warn of dangers, renounce a place name or indicate a bus stop.
• Provision of indoor or outdoor swimming pools or bathing places.
• Provision of facilities for conferences, the encouragement of recreation and business tourism.
• Powers to maintain a village or town green.

In addition to all those things, a parish council can do anything, provided it is for the general benefit of the community, and that the expenditure in any one year does not exceed £5.30 per local government elector in that particular parish or community. Parishes set a level for the Parish tax (known as the 'Precept') which is to be charged each year. The Precept is collected on behalf of the Parish by the District Council.

Parish Council procedures

Parish Councils must:

• Appoint a Chairman responsible for the smooth running of meetings and for ensuring that all council decisions are lawful.
• Appoint a Clerk as the Parish Council's advisor and administrator.
• Have at least five members. The National Association of Local Councils recommends seven as the minumum number needed for good aministration.
• Appoint a Responsible Financial Officer to manage the finances in a sound and professional manner. The RFO is often the Clerk.
• Appoint an independent and competent Internal Auditor.
• Comply with Employment Law, including equal opportunities and disability legislation, and the Freedom of Information and Data Protection Acts.
• Hold a minimum of four meetings a year, one of which must be the Annual Meeting. In practice most Parish Councils meet monthly.

Parish Council elections are held every four years. Parish Councils have the power to co-opt members if there are insufficient candidates to fill all places.