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 Public Open Forum at the start of each meeting. The Parish Council is funded by a precept which is collected from residnets 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!