Frequently Asked Questions: Difference between revisions
From Claygate
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=== Role of the Planning Committee === | === Role of the Planning Committee === | ||
*{{faq-box|The East Area Planning Committee has cancelled its last three monthly meetings. So why is our Planning Committee still meeting monthly, given the escalation of matters to East Area is its primary goal?|The Parish Council is a consultee on most types of planning applications. If we abandoned our cycle of monthly meetings and then a seriously undesirable application came in, we would have to rush round and arrange a special meeting, with a risk of difficulties finding a date and then missing EBC's deadline for comment.| Things are quiet at present, but once EBC get going with rewriting the Local Plan, we will probably have to plenty to do. Please note that the main planning committee of EBC is not the same as East Area and our sole purpose is not only to feed East Area with objections. We also feed the main planning committee with important local views via direct feedback to the specific planning officer concerned. In order to respond within EBC's time frame, we need to meet monthly. On the question of costs to taxpayers, the only costs involved in these meetings are room hire and the cost of the clerk. | *{{faq-box|The East Area Planning Committee has cancelled its last three monthly meetings. So why is our Planning Committee still meeting monthly, given the escalation of matters to East Area is its primary goal?|The Parish Council is a consultee on most types of planning applications. If we abandoned our cycle of monthly meetings and then a seriously undesirable application came in, we would have to rush round and arrange a special meeting, with a risk of difficulties finding a date and then missing EBC's deadline for comment.| Things are quiet at present, but once EBC get going with rewriting the Local Plan, we will probably have to plenty to do. Please note that the main planning committee of EBC is not the same as East Area and our sole purpose is not only to feed East Area with objections. We also feed the main planning committee with important local views via direct feedback to the specific planning officer concerned. In order to respond within EBC's time frame, we need to meet monthly. On the question of costs to taxpayers, the only costs involved in these meetings are room hire and the cost of the clerk.|Answer to question from a member of the public, 9th January 2025}} | ||
|Answer to question from a member of the public, 9th January 2025}} | |||
*{{faq-box|Why not give our Planning Committee responsibility for Parish Council Finance?|This Committee deals with town planning, not business or corporate planning, so combining it with Finance would not work. Some town councils, with much larger budgets and wider responsibilities, have a dedicated finance committee, but so far our budgeting and finance is simple enough not to need that. If, as a result of government moves to abolish borough/district Councils, we acquired significantly greater responsibilities, we would probably need to review how we manage our finances. | *{{faq-box|Why not give our Planning Committee responsibility for Parish Council Finance?|This Committee deals with town planning, not business or corporate planning, so combining it with Finance would not work. Some town councils, with much larger budgets and wider responsibilities, have a dedicated finance committee, but so far our budgeting and finance is simple enough not to need that. If, as a result of government moves to abolish borough/district Councils, we acquired significantly greater responsibilities, we would probably need to review how we manage our finances.|In terms of budget planning the responsibility is spread across the full council. The full council met to review a draft budget and the full council are meeting this month to approve a budget. This works well; budgeting via a separate finance committee would simply mean all the paperwork having to be formally reviewed twice for no real benefit. We doubt it is practical to plan for grants in the way suggested. The processing of these applications is not onerous and grants have been dealt with this way for many years without issue.|Answer to question from a member of the public, 9th January 2025}} | ||
|In terms of budget planning the responsibility is spread across the full council. The full council met to review a draft budget and the full council are meeting this month to approve a budget. This works well; budgeting via a separate finance committee would simply mean all the paperwork having to be formally reviewed twice for no real benefit. We doubt it is practical to plan for grants in the way suggested. The processing of these applications is not onerous and grants have been dealt with this way for many years without issue. | |||
|Answer to question from a member of the public, 9th January 2025}} | |||
=== Quorums at Meetings === | === Quorums at Meetings === | ||
Revision as of 12:29, 21 January 2025
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?
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| 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. '.' |
| source: |
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 |
Role of the Planning Committee
| The East Area Planning Committee has cancelled its last three monthly meetings. So why is our Planning Committee still meeting monthly, given the escalation of matters to East Area is its primary goal? The Parish Council is a consultee on most types of planning applications. If we abandoned our cycle of monthly meetings and then a seriously undesirable application came in, we would have to rush round and arrange a special meeting, with a risk of difficulties finding a date and then missing EBC's deadline for comment. ' Things are quiet at present, but once EBC get going with rewriting the Local Plan, we will probably have to plenty to do. Please note that the main planning committee of EBC is not the same as East Area and our sole purpose is not only to feed East Area with objections. We also feed the main planning committee with important local views via direct feedback to the specific planning officer concerned. In order to respond within EBC's time frame, we need to meet monthly. On the question of costs to taxpayers, the only costs involved in these meetings are room hire and the cost of the clerk.' |
| source:Answer to question from a member of the public, 9th January 2025 |
| Why not give our Planning Committee responsibility for Parish Council Finance? This Committee deals with town planning, not business or corporate planning, so combining it with Finance would not work. Some town councils, with much larger budgets and wider responsibilities, have a dedicated finance committee, but so far our budgeting and finance is simple enough not to need that. If, as a result of government moves to abolish borough/district Councils, we acquired significantly greater responsibilities, we would probably need to review how we manage our finances. 'In terms of budget planning the responsibility is spread across the full council. The full council met to review a draft budget and the full council are meeting this month to approve a budget. This works well; budgeting via a separate finance committee would simply mean all the paperwork having to be formally reviewed twice for no real benefit. We doubt it is practical to plan for grants in the way suggested. The processing of these applications is not onerous and grants have been dealt with this way for many years without issue.' |
| source:Answer to question from a member of the public, 9th January 2025 |
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? |
| source: |
Powers
| What are the limits on the Parish Council's powers? |
| source: |
