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What is a Parish Council?
A Parish Council is a civil local authority. It is called a local council to distinguish it from the principal councils - District, County, Unitary and London Boroughs. It is the most locally elected body within the English system of local government.
Most such councils were formed by the Local Government Act in 1894 when after hundreds of years, civil matters were separated from church matters, creating the 'civil parish'. The main consolidated legislation governing parish councils now is the Local Government Act 1972.
Parish councils do not have a large number of statutory duties (things they must do by law) but their role is, broadly, to represent the interests of the local community, provide services to meet local needs and improve quality of life and community well being. To deliver this role, they have many statutory discretionary powers. That means they can exercise the powers voluntarily but do not have to. For example, they may own and manage village land, such as Kettleburgh Pound. A council may since 2012 apply for a 'General Power of Competence' that increases the scope of what it can do further still, but 'the bar is set high' for achieving this status. For example, the council's Clerk must possess the demanding CILCA qualification.
Parish councils are as diverse as the communities they serve and this is a great strength. Your council can respond to your needs with a sensitivity that is more difficult for the higher tiers of government.
More information on: local councils in England; the role of local councillors; and what you need to do if you would like to stand as a candidate in local parish council elections, is available in the Booklets and Resources section on the National Association of Local Councils web site. Find a simple view in All About Local Councils.
What does the Parish Council do for me?
It:
- Does maintenance work such as maintaining assets such as the village sign, noticeboard and bus stop, potentially street furniture. It could employ someone to keep the village tidy.
- Leads projects such as assessing speeding or creating a plan for flood management.
- Provides views and evidence on your behalf about planning applications and other proposals that affect you.
- Makes grants to village organisations and secures them from other levels of government.
- Works with other levels of local government, helping them keep in touch with you.
- Works with other organisations such as the the Village Hall committee or Village Green trustees or potentially The Ramblers to achieve benefits for you.
- Lets other organisations know of any problems or work needing to be done.
- May manage allotments and cemetaries, or run festivals and Fetes.
How does the Parish Council operate?
Day-to-day, the Council is subject to standards and policies that govern its procedures. It has a set of rules called Standing Orders and a Code of Conduct (based on the Local Government Association (LGA)'s Model Councillor Code of Conduct), by which the Council, its elected Members and its Officers (currently just the Clerk) conduct their activities.
All Councillors must comply with their local Code of Conduct to ensure high standards in the way they undertake their official duties. This is driven by the Localism Act 2011 ss26-37, which was enacted following the Nolan Review of Standards in Public Life. The aim of the LGA code is that it be adopted by all levels of local government, making it in effect a national Code. The LGA has produced Notes for Guidance, which inform Councillors in interpreting the Code.
The Council's Standing Orders are its day-to-day written rules. For example they regulate the proceedings of meetings. A council could confirm or refer to its organisational and administrative arrangements in its standing orders. They are not the same as policies but standing orders may refer to the council's policies.
It's always worth remembering three basic rules for councils:
- A council must do what the law requires it to do
- A council may only do what the law says it may do
- A council cannot do anything unless permitted by legislation
All council decisions must be taken by the council as a whole, not individual councillors, or by correspondence, at a properly set up meeting. A defiined minimum number of councillors must be present - this is called a 'quorum'. Please refer to the Meetings Pages for more detail.
The Chair manages council meetings and has a casting vote. A councillor is elected Chair each year at the annual meeting of the parish council (this is not the same as the Annual Parish Meeting).
If you would like a detailed insight into how councils and councillors are required to operate, or perhaps you are thinking about becoming a councillor, read the Good Councillors's Guide.
How are the Parish Council's activities funded?
Parish councils receive the majority of their funding by levying a precept on the council tax paid by the residents of the parish (or parishes) covered by the council to the district council. So the precept is our parish's share of the council tax and it funds what the council does for you.
Annually the council reviews what needs to be done the following year (and to an extent beyond) and sets out its priorities for action in its Business Plan. It then assesses how much money is required to deliver the Plan. This results in budgets being allocated to the priority activities. The Clerk then requests East Suffolk District Council to provide the sum required to fund all the budgets. The process is rigorous so that the request is seldom challenged. The necessary funds are sent to the parish council in two equal amounts in April and September. Other funding may be obtained by local fund-raising or grants for specific activities. Grants may for example be bid for from the budgets held by District and County Councillors. The use of the public's money allocated to councils is governed by strict Financial Regulations and day to day Financial Controls.
What are the tiers of Local Government in Suffolk?
Kettleburgh Parish Council is the first tier of a three tier system of local government, with East Suffolk District Council and Suffolk County Council being the next two tiers, all elected by people within the relevant areas.
Who is my Member of Parliament (MP)?
Patrick Spencer (Central Suffolk and North Ipswich) patrick.spencer.mp@parliament.uk
Who are my County and District Councillors?
County Councillor (Carlford Division): Elaine Bryce
District Councillors (Framlingham Ward): Owen Grey; Vince Langdon-Morris
Who are my Parish Councillors?
Kettleburgh Parish Council has eight seats for members, who must be elected every four years, but councillors can be co-opted at any time. The most recent election was held on 4th May 2023 and taking account of subsequent co-options, the following are the current councillors:
Edward Jardine (Chairman), Bridge Farm, Mill Lane; email edward.jardine@kettleburghpc.org.uk
Rob Booth, The Timbers, Church Road; email rob.booth@kettleburghpc.org.uk
Vacancy - please have a look at the Vacancy Notice
Louise Clark; email louise.clark@kettleburghpc.org.uk
Patrick Garland; email patrick.garland@kettleburghpc.org.uk
John Mealing; email john.mealing@kettleburghpc.org.uk
Andy Barton; email andy.barton@kettleburghpc.org.ok
Vacancy
What does a Parish Councillor do?
The Local Government Assocation (LGA) tells us that: "Local councils are made up of councillors who are elected by the public in local elections. [Councillors retire after their four year term of office, but casual vacancies may arise in between elections.] Councillors work with local people and partners, such as community groups, businesses and other organisations, to agree and deliver on local priorities. The decisions are implemented by permanent council staff, council officers, who deliver services on a daily basis. [In our case, this is the Clerk/RFO.]
The role of a councillor is to serve and represent everyone in the ward that they are elected to (and not just those who voted for them). Some are also appointed to additional roles in the council, such as being a cabinet member. [We don't have a cabinet, but councillors can take on specific roles such as, staff matters, footpaths or waterways.]
The role brings people together. Councillors work with a diverse range of people from their community and have officers [the Clerk] to support them in their role at the council. Councillors lead the local conversation: you can be part of that to make your area the best place it can be."
Each councillor has their own reasons for running for office but the role offers the chance to make a real difference to the quality of life of people in the village. Being an effective councillor requires commitment and hard work and councillors have to balance the needs and interests of residents and the council. You can contribute that bit extra to your community and use some of your time to good effect by becoming a Parish Councillor. You could be representing the views of local people to ensure the community gets the right services, supporting a resident with an issue, or helping to shape the community by driving new ideas. To find out more please look at the following documents: Be A Councillor and/or It Takes All Sorts.
Do note that Councillors have to register their pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests with East Suffolk Council and these are published on East Suffolk Council's website Register of Interests. Just enter 'Kettleburgh' to find our councillors. Councillors are not paid although some expenses can be repaid. There is a time commitment, but much of that is in your own control.
You won't be in it alone! Training is provided and you will be supported by other councillors and the Clerk. The council belongs to the Suffolk Association of Local Councils (SALC) and through that, the National Association of Local Councils (NALC).
Who is eligible to be a councillor?
You must be at least 18 years of age on the day you are nominated, and either a British citizen, or a qualifying citizen of a Commonwealth country. You may be eligible as a citizen of the European Union, however the criteria have changed now that the UK has left the EU. Please check on the gov.uk website for advice about EU citizens’ voting and candidacy rights in local elections. You must also satisfy at least one of the following criteria:
- Be registered to vote in the parish; or
- Have owned a property or land in the parish for the last 12 months;
- Have worked in the parish in the last 12 months;
- Have lived in the parish, or within 4.8 kilometres, for the last 12 months,
before an election or being co-opted.
You can’t be a councillor if you:
- Work for the council you want to be a councillor for (you can work for another local authority as long as you are not in a political restricted post);
- Are the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order or interim order;
- Have been sentenced to prison for three months or more (including suspended sentences) during the five years before election or co-option day;
- Have been convicted of a corrupt or illegal practice by an election court; or
- Are subject to any relevant notification requirements, or a relevant order, in respect of a sexual offence.
Please read the full eligibility criteria from the Electoral Commission. If you are in any doubt about whether you are eligible to stand, you should contact the Electoral Services or Democratic Services team at your local council or the Electoral Commission for advice.
If I'm eligible how would I join up?
If you do decide it is for you, the best thing is to fulfil the criteria for a regular election (look at the LGA website).
Between elections, and if no poll (by-election) has been called, you can be co-opted to the council if a casual vacancy arises. A casual vacancy arises when a councillor: fails to make his or her declaration of acceptance of office at the proper time; resigns; dies; is disqualified from serving; or fails to attend meetings of a council committee or sub-committee or to attend as a representative of the council a meeting of an outside body for six months.
KPC must then notify East Suffolk Council of the casual vacancy and advertise it. The advertisement must give electors the opportunity to request an election - ten or more electors must write to the district council stating that an election is requested. If a by-election is called, this is organised by the district council. But the parish council pays the costs. If more than one candidate is nominated, a by-election takes place. However, if only one candidate is put forward that person is duly elected without a ballot.
If there is no request for a ballot within fourteen days of the vacancy notice being posted, as advised by the district council, KPC can co-opt a volunteer. When the Clerk has received written confirmation from the Electoral Services Office, they will advertise the vacancy for four weeks on the notice board and this website and tell the parish council that co-option has been initiated. The council will be keen to fill vacancies - if there are insufficient councillors to share the workload, the council's work becomes very difficult and a variety of skills will improve discussion and decision taking. A quorum at meetings will be more easily achieved if there are no vacancies. But note that the council is not obliged to fill any vacancy, even if several candidates apply for co-option.
If you want to volunteer to be co-opted, send your details to the Clerk saying briefly what you will bring to the role. But do talk to the Clerk before putting yourself forward for co-option, as more information may be needed.
Councillors are full members of the council whether elected or co-opted.
How can I be involved as a member of the public?
You are encouraged to attend meetings.
To be kept in touch with parish council business and receive items that the council is asked to push out to you, please email the Clerk requesting that your email address be added to the Parish Email Distribution List (the PEDL). The PEDL system is more useful the more people subscribe to it, but you can request that your email address be removed at any time. The operation of the PEDL will soon be reviewed (September 2023).
You can raise a specific issue with the council by emailing the Clerk.
If you have a complaint, speak to the Clerk first - this will often resolve things. If it doesn't, email the Clerk, who will refer the complaint to the Chair. If your complaint is about the Clerk, write to the Chair directly. Note that the council will not do anything with anonymous complaints.
Your complaint will be dealt with in accordance with the framework set out by the National Association of Local Councils (NALC). There is an appeal process.
Websites: