People can be confused by the term ‘Parish Meeting’, especially when there is a Meeting of the Parish Meeting!
There are 9,000 Parish and Town Councils in England. Over 16 million people live in communities served by these local councils, which is around 25% of the population, and about 80,000 Councillors serve on these Councils. Their activities fall into three main categories: representing the local community, delivering services to meet local needs, and improving quality of life and community well-being.
Not every Civil Parish has a Parish Council: smaller ones—typically those with an electorate of fewer than 200—have Parish Meetings instead
A Parish Meeting is a body that has a similar function to a Parish Council but its powers are not as wide as a Parish Council. A Council has certain statutory powers and responsibilities and usually employs a Clerk and other staff to carry out these duties whereas a Parish Meeting has no such statutory duties or authority nor any employees. Whereas a Parish Council is a local authority a Parish Meeting is not.
A Parish Meeting must meet once a year between 1st March and 1st June and on one other occasion. The meeting is open to the public with only registered electors allowed to speak and vote on any proposal.
At the AGM those present will elect a Chairperson and a Clerk who jointly will coordinate the affairs of the Parish including events and overseeing general facilities. The Chairperson will preside over the Meetings and will coordinate the organisation of such events as may be determined at meetings. Other residents may be co-opted onto a committee to arrange specific events. The Clerk is the main point of contact with South Kesteven District Council for disseminating Authority information as well as submitting suggestions or concerns that residents may have within the Parish at local authority level. The Clerk will also liaise with Lincolnshire County Council.
In short, The Parish Meeting has no statutory powers but will act to facilitate any reasonable request by registered electors. These may include but not be limited to, roads, bus shelters, bus services as well as organising local events. The decision as to whether or not the Parish Meeting will hold funds for carrying out some of its events is a matter of decision at the Annual General Meeting. If it is so decided, an Annual Governance and Accountability Return document has to be prepared and signed by the Chairperson and returned to the HMRC External after presentation and agreement at the Annual General Meeting.
In summary, the aims of the Parish Meeting are to:
- represent the local community, by delivering relevant information to and from South Kesteven District Council and Lincolnshire County Council. This will include such information as roads, transport services, education.
- improve quality of life and community well-being by organising local events.
Honington Parish Meeting Chairperson is Debbie Parker and Clerk is Millie Parker.