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Overseeing Parish Council

 
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Eliza
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 8:52 am    Post subject: Overseeing Parish Council Reply with quote

I just wondered if there was a body which oversees what Parish Councils do? I've never heard of one but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist!!I have been a Clerk in one parish for a couple of years and because my predecessor was organised and knew how to manage things, I followed her lead - I also had Clerk's training organised by the local association.

However I have now been coopted onto another local council as councillor and am amazed at what I have found. The clerk makes decisions and completely runs the show (she doesn't live in the parish but some miles away), there is no concept of it being a public body, so minutes are not published nor is the audit report (even tho they have a smart new noticeboard that no-one is allowed to use except her and is full of rubbish unrelated to the parish or the council). The chair has been in post for 25 years but none of them seem to read - or get - any of the circulars that come out or know about any national issues that might concern local residents. In my clerk's job I am paid on the national scale and my council is registered with HMRC as an employer but she is just paid a cheque determined by herself and unaccompanied by receipts etc (which is almost double what I earn on the second point of the national scale).

My main concern is that the people of the parish should be able to have access to the agenda (there is none) and minutes (even councillors don't get those, they are just read out at the meeting and are very brief) so will ask for them to go at least on the noticeboard. I don't want to start as a councillor with all guns blazing but from reading on here, this is not an unusual situation.

So back to my original question, is there any body that audits whether parish councils comply with the national standards and guidance? If not they seem a pointless layer of government and no wonder local people always ask what the parish council does.

Would be grateful for any advice about how to manage this situation locally - and hopefully tactfully - too.

Sorry to ramble

Liz
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Timbow
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Joined: 22 Sep 2010
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 12:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Short answer is that the District Council will have a Standards Committee which should oversee and maintain standards in Parish Councils (I think).

Poor Liz. What a difficult situation to find yourself in. It sounds to me as though you would face a long and demoralising struggle trying to single handedly change virtually everything the Parish Council does and you will end up being characterised as the woman who is always complaining, criticising, grumbling and finding fault. Not a nice prospect.

What you need is an election. You need new councillors, a new chairman and very importantly to make changes you need the authority which you will get from being an elected body, even in a small parish with small voter numbers.

I am guessing that like a lot of parish Councils there is an unofficial system of perpetual coopting which can serve the community very badly sometimes. Remember a good Parish Council is a fantastic asset to a parish - it is worth it.

T
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Mike Goss
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PostPosted: Fri May 18, 2012 7:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Local Association should be able to give advice, but if the Clerk won't take advice then the District Council Standards Committee is the place to go.

Also

the council should have adopted standing orders, a fair number of which are mandatory - and it would seem like the clerk is not keeping to those. Ask to see your standing orders, and challenge any breach. If the clerk won't give you a copy let me know in here and I'll let you have a copy of ours, not all will apply to your council, but the mandatory parts will.

Mike
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Chris
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 3:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Liz,

Did you get anywhere with your search for advice?

Chris
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