Frequently Asked Questions

Accounts of the Parish Council

Why does the Accounting Statement for 23/24 show Staff Costs going down when in reality the financial year was an exceptionally expensive one for Clerk-related expenses? The headline page of the Annual Accounting Statement shows Staff Costs going down from £16.7k in 22/23 to £12.8k in 23/24. Yet in the Scribe accounts attached in Appendix A to the Annual Parish Meeting agenda (16th May), the total Staff Costs are shown as £25.5k. This figure was inflated by £12.5k for the Locum Clerk, a man said to be charging more than three times the hourly rate of a normal salaried Clerk. So the headline figures on the Annual Accounting Statement appear to show the Parish Council being very careful on Staff Costs in 23/24, when in fact Staff Costs for the year were exceptionally high, a regrettable state of affairs entirely due to decisions of members of the Parish Council. 'Cllr Holt explained that due to the advice of PKF Littlejohn and Scribe we are unable to show consulting fees on our statements.'

source:Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting of 7th November 2024

Data Protection

Can the Parish Council keep a record of the names and addresses of residents? Only if the Parish Council fully complies with data protection law. (It should not, for example, import a subscriber database compiled by the CVA, because those subscribers sent in their contact details in order to receive the CVA newsletter—they did not sign up to be contacted by the Parish Council.) 'The personal data the Parish Council holds must, for example, be: • Used lawfully, fairly and in a transparent way. • Collected only for valid purposes that the Parish Council has clearly explained to residents and not used in any way that is incompatible with those purposes. • Relevant to the purposes the Parish council has told residents about and limited only to those purposes. • Accurate and kept up to date. • Kept only as long as necessary for the purposes the Parish Council has told residents about.'

source:https://www.cogenhoeandwhiston-pc.gov.uk/general-data-protection-regulati

Expenses

Can Councillors claim expenses for refreshments consumed during meetings? Yes. 'It is appropriate to accept normal expenses and hospitality associated with your duties as a councillor.'

source:Code of Conduct for Claygate Parish Council

Motivation

What motivates Claygate residents to stand for office as a parish councillor? It is hard to generalise. Perhaps some are seeking status within the community; with others seeing it as an enhancement to their CV or a stepping stone towards higher things. The standard interview answer is that the individual wants “to do some good” or “put something back into the community”. In practice, disillusion sets in: no-one who has served a complete term of office on the parish council has stood for a second consecutive term, unless they have aspired to a higher tier of local government. '.'

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Planning Applications

Who decides whether to approve a planning application? Either an Elmbridge Planning Officer or the Elmbridge East Area Subcommittee. 'Householder applications will only be decided by East Area sub-committee if referred by an [Elmbridge] ward councillor or if they are on behalf of members, the council or officers of the council; otherwise, even if there are objections from 15+ households, or from CPC, the application will still be decided by a planning officer.'

source:Michael Collon's note for the Planning Committee, contained in Appendix 2 of the Agenda of the meeting held on 15th August 2024

Quorums at Meetings

What is the quorum for a meeting of the Parish Council? Three. 'No business may be transacted at a meeting unless at least one-third of the whole number of members of the Council are present and in no case shall the quorum of a meeting be less than three Councillors'

source:Standing Orders 3(v)

What is the quorum for a meeting of the Planning Committee? Three. 'The Council may appoint standing committees or other committees as may be necessary, and: viii. shall determine the place, notice requirements and quorum for a meeting of a committee and a sub-committee which, in both cases, shall be no less than three;'

source:Standing Orders 4(d)viii

What is the quorum for a meeting of the Environment, Highways and Transport Committee? Three. 'The Council may appoint standing committees or other committees as may be necessary, and: viii. shall determine the place, notice requirements and quorum for a meeting of a committee and a sub-committee which, in both cases, shall be no less than three;'

source:Standing Orders 4(d)viii

Secrecy

Can the Parish Council exclude the public from a meeting? In general, no. 'All meetings of an executive including meetings of its committees or sub-committees must be open to the public, except in limited defined circumstances where the national rules require or allow the meeting to be closed to the public. The public can be excluded from individual items of business at a meeting. There are exceptions relating to when a meeting can be closed to the press and the public. These exceptions are when sensitive issues, such as legal, contractual, or staffing matters are discussed; in these cases, the council can agree to exclude the press and public from that single item of business. As a rule of thumb, the council should conduct as much of its business as possible with the public present, to ensure it is as transparent as possible.'

source:The Good Councillor's Guide 2024 and https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7b7e2fed915d1a79023a21/Your_councils_cabinet_-_going_to_its_meetings_seeing_how_it_works.pdf

The Work of the Parish Clerk

Can the Chair of the Parish Council direct the work of the Clerk? No. 'The employment arrangements for the clerk are unique to the local council sector, in that the clerk is employed by the whole council and is only answerable to the whole council, not to individual council members. The clerk is not a secretary and is not at the disposal of the chair or any of the councillors.'

source:The Good Councillor's Guide 2024

Not yet put

Profligacy

Can the Parish Council give away taxpayers' money?

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Powers

What are the limits on the Parish Council's powers?

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