What Does the Parish Council Do?
The Duties and Responsibilities of Chilham Parish Council
The Parish Council carried out a full range of duties for the benefit of the residents and meets once a month to administer parish business. All parish councillors volunteer their time, the only paid employee is the Clerk who sets the agendas, minutes the meetings and implements the actions and decisions. The Clerk also ensures that we operate within the law. Members of the public are encouraged to attend our meetings and have an opportunity to speak to councillors during the Parishioners Questions during the meeting. The Parish Council is funded by a precept which is collected from residents by Ashford Borough Council as part of the Council Tax. Most importantly, the parish council is eleted to meet the needs and represent the views of its parishoners.
Finance
The Parish Council manages the precept as referred to above. We produce a budget and report against it on a quarterly basis. There are rigourous rules governing the financial arrangments of Parish Councils which are overseen by the Responsible Financial Officer and the Independent Internal Auditor.
Planning
The Parish Council is included in the consultaiton process for planning applications.
Insurance
The Parish Council carries 3rd party liability insurance
We recognise that many people in the parish don’t understand what the parish council can and cannot do, so this website and regular newsletters keep you informed about what your parish council is doing on your behalf. We welcome feedback, good or bad, so please use the form on the how are we doing page to let us have your views on the website or, for that matter, any issue that you think the parish council should be dealing with.
You can now also follow us on Twitter @ParishChilham
If you would like to receive emails that the parish council considers would be of interest with regard to life in the parish you can sign up for a newsletter!
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CHILHAM SQUARE ROAD SAFETY CONCERNS
We have been made aware, by email to the clerk, that there have been a few near misses with vehicles in The Square, especially during the school runs.
In the past traffic has always travelled around The Square clockwise, there were road markings, but these were covered up during resurfacing and have never been repainted.
The parish council does not have the power to enforce a one-way system, but feel it would be safer if parishioners went back to the voluntary one-way system i.e. turning left from Taylors Hill and The Street. This suggestion is PURELY VOLUNTARY but we hope this will make The Square safer.
Another concern raised is that poor parking may cause difficulties to emergency vehicles trying to enter The Square, so please park carefully.
The Parish Council has been speaking with Kent Highways about improvements to The Square, and in the short term we submitted a small and inexpensive plan, which included wooden planters with seating and 4 disabled parking bays, which we hoped could be completed before the Coronation Celebrations. The Parish Council has been asked to have professional plans drawn up and then submit again to the planners. We will continue to engage with Kent Highways regarding this proposal, as diagram below.
PARISH CLERK for Chilham Parish Council
Chilham Parish Council Newsletter
Welcome to this month's Chilham Parish Council newsletter. This is the second newsletter created by the current parish councillor’s communication team.
The idea is to keep all parishioners informed about various items which might be of interest and
helpful to them. This month the newsletter highlights COSY youth club. The parish council felt that the lack of youth facilities was something we needed to rectify, and the parish councillors and volunteers
have worked hard to get the club up and running. It now has some 60 members, with lots of exciting plans for the future.
The following link will take you to the newsletter
Chilham Parish Council
Clerk's Update
Nominations are now open for election to Chilham Parish Council, more information is available of the election page.
Dated 22nd March, 2023
Clerk to the Parish Council
Mr P Coles
3 The Square
Rattington Street
Chartham
CT4 7JG
Email: clerk@chilhamparishcouncil.gov.uk