Introduction
What are community, parish and town councils?
There are around 10,000 community, parish and town councils in England and Wales; they are corporate bodies and local authorities. They have a powerful voice to represent local people .
Parish Councillor Appointment
We are delighted to announce Councillor Nick Austin has been co-opted as a parish council to replace Joe Davey who resigned a few months ago. Councillor Austin has served as a parish councillor for Dinedor for many years prior to the last elections,
Parish Council meetings
Parish Council meetings take place on the third Thursday of every month (excluding December and August), starting at 6.00pm in the Village Hall. Dates for forthcoming meetings are below but please note these are subject to confirmation and you should check meeting dates and venue on the agenda page of this website a few days before the meeting. Due to councillor unavailability, the next meeting of the parish council has been changed to Thursday 29th May at 5.00pm in the Village Hall.
Dinedor Camp Community Action Days
When the weather is suitable, a small group of volunteers help to maintain keep Dinedor Camp on the third Sunday of each month from 2p – 4pm. All help is very gratefully received. A regular commitment is not necessary but clearly very welcome! For more information on the Camp and how you can help maintain this community asset, please see the Dinedor Camp page on this website.
Neighbourhood Development Plan
After years of work by a small dedicated team which has included consultation with residents at every stage, the Dinedor Neighbourhood Development plan is now adopted as formal guidance to the planning authority when determining planning applications within the parish following a successful referendum held on Thursday 24th June. A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed towards the plan through the consultation processes, to the steering group who have worked to put all those contributions onto paper and to those who voted to adopt the plan.
A copy of the results of the vote can be found here
For further information on the neighbourhood plan, please visit the Neighbourhood Development plan page.
What can these councils do ?
Community and parish and town councils are a part of local government closest to the people.They serve the smallest area and are responsible for the most local of matters.Very importantly, these councils can “precept” – raising a sum collected with the council tax each year to improve facilities and services for local people.
Parish and town and community councils in England and Wales have a number of basic responsibilities in making the lives of local communities more comfortable, many of which are often taken for granted. Essentially these powers fall with in three main categories:representing the whole electorate within the parish delivering services to meet local needs: and striving to improve quality of life in the parish.
Community parish and town councils can also comment on planning applications – they are statutory consultees (they have to be consulted if they so wish) and can be represented at public inquires.
How can I become a Parish Councillor ?
Qualifications:
1 A person is qualified to become a Parish Councillor if:
He or She is a British subject, or a citizen of the Irish Republic or other Euro national and on the day he/she is nominated as a candidate for election, is over 18 and is an elector AND
2. During the whole 12 months preceding his or her nomination day, or the day of the election, resided or had his/ her principal place of work in the parish, or within 3 miles of it.
Disqualifications
A person may not become a Parish Councillor if:1 They hold office a paid office or other place of profit in the gift of the Council.3 They have been convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to not less than 3 months imprisonment (including any suspended sentence) within the past five years. If you are interested in becoming a Parish Councillor, you can ;Contact the Parish Council and express your interest.
What decisions do Parish Councils make ?
Parish Councils make all kinds of decisions on issues that affect the local community.Probably the most common topics that Parish Councils get involved with are planning matters , crime prevention, managing open spaces and campaigning for and delivering better services and facilities.
Its true to say that on their own Parish Councils have limited powers to make decisions. But they do have the ability to negotiate with, and the power to influence, those other organisations that do make the final decisions such as (Herefordshire Council,Health Authorities, Police etc.)
In this respect Parish Councils are extremely powerful.
The organisations that make the final decisions know that Parish Councils give the the best reflection of how a community feels about something, and its view will be taken seriously.
Information Supplied By HALC (Hereford Association of Local Councils)