Woodhurst Parish Council

The Parish Council has a number of legal responsibilities as well as powers; some of these are listed below and may be among the topics in the village appraisal. In general the Parish Council has powers to provide/maintain or otherwise deal with:

• Bus shelters
• Community centres
• Community transport schemes
• Crime prevention measures
• Ditches
• Entertainment & the Arts
• Land
• Newsletter
• Public footpaths and bridle ways
• Recreation grounds
• Recreational facilities
• Roadside seats and shelters
• Trees etc. and roadside verges

Recent legislation has given some Quality Councils additional powers in the area of crime and disorder, dog offences, litter, graffiti, abandoned vehicles and fly-tipping.

Over the years the scope and detail involved in the Councils work has been increasing steadily against a background of more complex and demanding legislation. This is particularly relevant in planning, finance and ethics where there now have to be clear audit trails. Informal arrangements common in the past are no longer acceptable and decisions on council expenditure have to be based on a critical analysis of the needs of the parish, taking into account the Government's overriding principle of "Best Value'. It is in this context that the Parish Action Plan is important as it will focus on and prioritise the issues and interests of the community.

It is mandatory each year for the Council to formulate its budget and it is this which is used as the basis for setting the precept. The precept is the specific levy relating to this parish and is the smallest component of the council tax which funds the county, district and parish expenditure. Woodhurst parish levy per household has been, and still is, one of the lowest in the District

The district determines the number of councillors for each parish. We have seven, one of whom is the chairman, and, although it is not a legal requirement, our Council has elected one member to be vice-chairman.
All parish councils have a Clerk, known as the Proper Officer, who is a bona fide employee of the council and is in receipt of an incremental salary based upon the hours worked. The Clerk's role is pivotal as he/she is responsible for attending meetings, preparing agendas and minutes, preparing the accounts and ensuring that the Council functions properly.

The status of the Parish Council is that of a body corporate and is distinct from its members, either as individuals or collectively. Its lawful acts, assets and liabilities are its own and not those of its members.

A person is qualified to become a council member if he/she is a Commonwealth citizen [which includes a British subject] or Euro-national and is an elector over 18 years old.

In addition he/she must, for twelve months prior to nomination, have either:

• resided in the parish or within three miles of it
• or occupied as owner or tenant any land or premises there
• or had his/her principal or only place of work there.

There are a number of ways in which a person may be disqualified from being elected, the more obvious being employment by the Council, bankruptcy or having been sentenced within the last five years to not less than three months imprisonment without the option of paying a fine.

As a parishioner why not consider standing for election? Just a few hours a month can make a difference to our community and provide an interesting and rewarding experience.

An election is scheduled every four years with the next being May 2022. This is a time when all councillors must stand down though they will remain eligible for re-election. Candidates must be nominated by two electors. If we have seven candidates or fewer, then those nominated are elected without a ballot. These councillors can then fill casual vacancies by co-option. It might be thought that being a councillor is an onerous task with all the activities and responsibilities involved. However we aim to keep meetings to a couple of hours and are as informal as we can be when dealing with formal business and light hearted moments frequently punctuate the formal proceedings. Once elected, councillors are required to declare prescribed interests and to state during each meeting if they have either a personal or prejudicial interest in any subject which may come under consideration. If the interest is not prejudicial members may contribute to the discussion and vote. If it is prejudicial, they must leave the room and cannot participate in discussion or cast a vote. Our Council normally meets at monthly intervals apart from August, although by law the Council is required to meet on a minimum of only four occasions per year. The "Annual Meeting" of the Council usually takes place in May but in an election year must be held on the day, or within fourteen days, of the day new councillors take office. Part of the business of this meeting is the election of the chairman and vice chairman. The Annual Village Meeting, usually in April, is a public meeting and is an opportunity for the Council to report its activities and accounts and for parishioners to express their views to the Council. Public meetings can be held on other occasions for specific purposes but there are strict rules governing their administration. All council meetings have a formal agenda and are open to the public and press and time is set aside to hear individual views and comments of parishioners. We also invite our local District and County Councillors and community policeman to every meeting. Council meetings are held in the Village Hall and the agendas and minutes are posted on the parish notice boards; individual copies are available from the Parish Clerk on request. Every meeting has a 10 minute open forum for member of the public to raise issues.

Town Lands Charity

The Parish Council are custodian trustee of the Town Lands Charity, which owns Clay pits field. This is currently let to a local farmer for agricultural use. The rent that the Charity receives for this field is distributed annually among parishioners who are in receipt of a State Retirement Pension and who have registered for this benefit.

Village Hall Charity

The Parish Council is custodian trustee of the Woodhurst Village Hall charity.  The main duty is to hold the property of the charity and to have the custody of all securities and documents relating to property owned by the charity. A custodian trustee cannot manage a charity - that is a matter for the managing trustees; it cannot act for the managing trustees even if there are none and must carry out the managing trustees' instructions unless that would involve the custodian trustee in a breach of trust or some personal liability.

Local Planning

The parish council considers all planning applications within the parish at regular council meetings, calling extraordinary meetings if necessary to meet planning deadlines.

Bus shelter

The parish council owns, maintains and arranges the cleaning of the bus shelter within the village - please notify the Clerk if the shelter is damaged or in need of cleaning.

Telephone Box

The parish council has 'adopted' the phone box from BT and is responsible for the maintenance and cleaning.

Other items

The parish council owns and is responsible for a number of other items around the village, including Benches, fire hooks and the Pump  and ensures that they are maintained. A copy of the Asset Register is available for inspection upon request.

The Tree Warden Scheme

Trees, woods and hedges have been lost over many years due to a variety of causes including disease, agricultural intensification and development. This scheme is intended to help protect what we have and replace what we have lost. Tree Wardens work closely with their Parishes to encourage a respect for trees and hedges in their community. They may or may not be members of their Parish Council but are expected always to work closely with them. Tree Wardens are not expected to be experts but must have a genuine love for trees and the natural environment. The local scheme is run by the Tree Warden Co-ordinator of the Tree and Landscape Section within the Planning Department in Huntingdonshire District Council. The local scheme forms part of a National Scheme organised by the Tree Council and has over 118 Local Authorities participating with over 8,000 Wardens. For more information on making alterations to or removing, trees, please visit the Tree Section of the HDC website Damage can often be caused to trees or woodland by ignorance such as lighting fires too close to trees, bad practice by builders and site contractors or by the work of unqualified tree surgeons. Local people often spot harmful activities or diseases before council officers notice them and should inform their local tree warden. Where trees are in Conservation Areas, are subject to planning conditions or are covered by Tree Preservation Orders permission from the District Council Tree Officer must be obtained before any work is carried out. The tree warden will advise on the process of obtaining this permission. Huntingdonshire is currently undertaking an Elm survey to identify surviving large Elm trees in the District. Tree Wardens play a valuable role in surveying their area and recording the information which is used in two ways:

1. Protecting those healthy trees which may be considered at risk of felling
2. Identifying apparently disease resistant trees so new trees can be grown from them.

Tree Wardens may also work with local groups enhancing local areas of open space, footpaths and bridleways, school grounds or cemeteries by planting trees and hedges. Trees and hedging for these purposes are available through the Parish Planting Scheme. Guidance notes and training sessions are available so that the most appropriate planting scheme can be designed for the area and instruction is given about aftercare to ensure survival.

Cambridgeshire County Council works in partnership with local parishes to improve, maintain and promote the public rights of way network within individual parishes. The scheme is called the Parish Paths Partnership and parishes that are members receive the support of the Parish Paths Liaison Officer based at the County Council. The Cambridgeshire Parish Path Maintenance Scheme was started in 1988. This encouraged parish councils to take a more active role in the upkeep of public rights of way. This County scheme formed the basis for the Countryside Commission's Parish Paths Partnership, which was launched in April 1992. Countryside Commission funding for the scheme ended in March 1998, but new partnerships have been formed between the County Council and the four District Councils - East Cambridgeshire, Fenland, Huntingdonshire, and South Cambridgeshire to secure the future of this valuable local scheme.

Parish Paths Partnership Grants are available for:

• survey of the rights of way network
• maintenance of field-edge paths
• clearance of vegetation (not overhanging vegetation, which is the landowner's responsibility)
• repairs to stiles and gates
• replacing stiles with kissing gates
• waymarking
• promotion of paths through maps or events

The work can be tackled by parish volunteers, landowners or by employment of a local contractor.