Welcome to Aston Cantlow Parish Council’s webpage.
An Introduction
Parish Councils are the level of local government closest to the people and supervise civic duties in towns and villages. Aston Cantlow Parish Council is responsible for Aston Cantlow, Little Alne, Newnham and Shelfield.
Broadly speaking, Parish Councils exist to represent the people within the parish with the aim of improving the quality of life within the parish. They are consultees on all types of planning applications affecting the parish. Parish Councils have the power to raise a sum of money known as the ‘precept’ which is collected with the Council Tax to support their operations. Parish Councils have powers to provide some facilities themselves, or they can contribute towards their provision by others.
For a full list of powers and duties please visit [link to NALC Become a Councillor]
In the future, Parish Councils may soon be granted more powers, especially as part of Quality Status. When councils are awarded this status they are allowed to negotiate with the District or County Council that certain responsibilities get devolved to the parish. This is part of the government’s initiative to revitalise local democracy.
Our Aims as a Parish Council
We as a Parish Council have tried to improve communication within the parish and to improve links with the people of the parish and between the villages. We want to know you views and so we undertook a questionnaire to gauge the issues parishioners felt were important. We were thrilled when our bid for Lottery funding was granted to us in order for us to create this website to help take these ideals forward.
Duties of a Parish Councillor
Councillors attend meetings and committees to decide on activities to support, where and how much money should be spent, what services should be delivered and what policies should be implemented. They also monitor the effects of these decisions and try to get involved locally by going to meetings of bodies affecting the wider community and taking up issues on behalf of members of the public.
How we are Elected
Councillors are generally elected by the public every four years. There are six seats on Aston Cantlow’s Parish Council, plus a part-time Clerk who help us to carry out our duties. The Clerk acts as the council’s Responsible Finance Officer and she also gives effect to decisions of the council by placing orders for goods or services or formally writing to other bodies. All correspondence and communications should normally pass through the Clerk.
At each year’s Annual General Meeting in mid-May a Chairman is elected and it is usual practice for a Vice-Chairman to also be appointed who can deputise for the Chairman as necessary. Any other representatives are also elected, e.g. our Parish Council nominee who sits on the Village Hall Management Committee.
In the event of a resignation or vacancy occurring mid-term, either a bye-election is held or, if there is no call for one, the remaining councillors can co-opt a willing volunteer to serves out the remainder of the four-year term. Fortunately politics are not generally a feature of Parish Council elections.
Our Certificate of Employers’ Liability Insurance can be viewed by following this link: ELCert2015
