What is the Parish Council?
It is the lowest tier of local government. The Council consists of nine voluntary Councillors who are elected for a four year term of office to serve and administer for the needs of the residents of the parish of Hullavington. In the event of a vacancy arising, a new member is either elected or co-opted until the next election. The Parish Councillors determine and set policy to cater for the social, cultural, welfare and environmental needs of parishioners and employ a part time Clerk to the Council to implement policy decisions.
All Councillors adhere to the Parish Council Code of Conduct and complete a Register of Interests. From time to time the Council has Committees to concentrate on particular aspects of its work. It should be noted that, where necessary, the Council co–opts non Councillors onto particular Committees. This has proved particularly beneficial in the past, bringing the talents of local residents to bear on specific issues.
What does the Parish Council do?
Whilst the Council has little in the way of direct power, it has a reasonable amount of influence and is consulted by other tiers of local government and national government on a wide range of issues. A good example of this is in relation to planning, where the responsible authority is Wiltshire Council. All details of every planning application within the Parish are given to the Parish Council for review, and comments are taken into account when decisions are reached.
Another example is Wiltshire Council, which is the Highway Authority, but which consults with the parish over any road scheme or traffic calming measure.
The Parish council is directly responsible for providing various services to the village.
How is the Parish Council paid for?
Every year the Council sets its budget, and the amount it requires to operate that budget is known as the Parish Precept. This amount is collected by Wiltshire Council from the Council Tax paid by residents of the parish.
Audited accounts are produced each year and as part of the audit system the accounts are available for public inspection. Details of the inspection system are posted at the appropriate time on the Parish Council’s notice board.