The Parish Council - Role & Powers
The Parish Council is a small local authority and today its role is more important than ever.
It is the closest tier of local government to the people. Great Bradley has seven voluntary councillors who are elected for four years. The Parish Councillors know the village intimately, and represent its views to other authorities such as the Borough Council, County Council, and to Government ministers. The Council is entitled to be consulted on planning applications and to put the Parish's case to public inquiries. It is always lobbying for improvements in highways, road safety etc.
The Parish Councillors determine and set policies for the social, cultural, welfare and environmental needs of Parish residents and they employ a Clerk to implement the various policies.
Parish Councils are the most unbureaucratic and very much the cheapest kind of local authority. They receive no general government grant (unlike both the Borough and County Councils) so raise the majority of their income from a precept, a small tax that is levied on all 160 properties within the village as part of the council tax. This raises £11,300 each year. St Edmundsbury Borough Council no longer provide grant aid to rural Parishes which did help to reduce the tax element.
A Parish Council has a surprising number of powers in order that it can carry out its functions to improve the quality of village life for its parishioners. Although, with a small tax base (unlike the larger villages/towns) Great Bradley Parish Council, along with most small villages, is limited in what it can achieve.
Great Bradley Parish Council has, on average, seven meetings a year. Details of all these meetings are displayed on the Parish notice boards and village web site. It is vital that the community acknowledges, understands and supports the Parish Council. To this end, provision is made at all regular meetings of the Council for questions to be put by members of the public and responses to be made.
A Parish Council's expenditure must be made in accordance with Acts of Parliament. Its accounts must be made public to parishioners. For further information see council finance.
Great Bradley Parish Council gives on-going support to the following:
Freedom of Information. All Councils large and small are obliged to have an approved Publication Scheme for documents and Great Bradley has one. Contact the Parish Clerk if you wish to have a copy of this.
It is the closest tier of local government to the people. Great Bradley has seven voluntary councillors who are elected for four years. The Parish Councillors know the village intimately, and represent its views to other authorities such as the Borough Council, County Council, and to Government ministers. The Council is entitled to be consulted on planning applications and to put the Parish's case to public inquiries. It is always lobbying for improvements in highways, road safety etc.
The Parish Councillors determine and set policies for the social, cultural, welfare and environmental needs of Parish residents and they employ a Clerk to implement the various policies.
Parish Councils are the most unbureaucratic and very much the cheapest kind of local authority. They receive no general government grant (unlike both the Borough and County Councils) so raise the majority of their income from a precept, a small tax that is levied on all 160 properties within the village as part of the council tax. This raises £11,300 each year. St Edmundsbury Borough Council no longer provide grant aid to rural Parishes which did help to reduce the tax element.
A Parish Council has a surprising number of powers in order that it can carry out its functions to improve the quality of village life for its parishioners. Although, with a small tax base (unlike the larger villages/towns) Great Bradley Parish Council, along with most small villages, is limited in what it can achieve.
Great Bradley Parish Council has, on average, seven meetings a year. Details of all these meetings are displayed on the Parish notice boards and village web site. It is vital that the community acknowledges, understands and supports the Parish Council. To this end, provision is made at all regular meetings of the Council for questions to be put by members of the public and responses to be made.
A Parish Council's expenditure must be made in accordance with Acts of Parliament. Its accounts must be made public to parishioners. For further information see council finance.
Great Bradley Parish Council gives on-going support to the following:
- The Recreation Area for new items of play/community equipment (e.g. recently the new, and very well received, outdoor gym equipment and another picnic table) and grass cutting of the area and maintenance of the play equipment and pathways
- The Village Hall if ever it becomes necessary or with expensive new equipment. For example a new double-sized shed was purchased for the Village Hall in 2019 in order that the bar area cupboard could be cleared to make room for the village archives which had been stored for many years free of charge at Great Bradley Hall offices.
- The maintenance of the village footpaths including the Permissive Paths
- The Bugle newsletter
- Bonfire Night
- The annual litter pick
- Community Speedwatch
- The Vehicular Activated Sign (digital speed sign on the posts)
- The Annual Village Meeting (normally held in April) which is designed for everyone to be able to come and join in to hear what's happening in the village and raise any ideas/problems etc. The Parish Council always ensure a good supply of wine and nibbles as an encouragement!
- Community events e.g Celebration lunch for the Royal Wedding in May 2018 and Commemoration of the end of WW1 in November 2018.
- The Village Garden
- The Archive Group that was organising the cataloguing and digitising of all the village archives now made available online for everyone to be able to see.
- The allotments and verges cutting in Matthews Lane
- Any major village exhibitions e.g. the last one was the WW1 and archives exhibition in November 2018
- One new project for 2019/20 is having a new outside dedicated War Memorial at the Village Hall. Plans are underway to have a grand opening to coincide with the commemoration of VE day May 8th 2020
- Another project for 2019 in to provide the Village Hall with an electronic screen to be available for all hall users
Freedom of Information. All Councils large and small are obliged to have an approved Publication Scheme for documents and Great Bradley has one. Contact the Parish Clerk if you wish to have a copy of this.
The Powers of Great Bradley Parish Council
Parish Councils have accumulated and evolved powers over the years, through various Acts of Parliament. In some areas these powers are quite extensive whilst in others they are very limited or non-existent. As always, the devil is in the detail and whilst it may appear that the Council has a certain power, it may be that it is limited by a requirement to obtain the consent of another body (for example the approval of the County Council to the provision of a car park). The summaries here are brief and anyone wishing to have further information should contact the Clerk.
The list is alphabetical and those powers marked with an asterisk indicate that, in addition to exercising the power itself, the Council may also help another body to act by giving financial assistance.
Allotments
Provision and maintenance of allotments for cultivation.
Arts*
Developing and improving knowledge of the arts and the crafts which serve the arts.
Baths
Provision of baths and wash-houses (which in modern terms may mean a launderette).
Borrowing
Parish Councils can borrow money for up to a maximum of 25 years after receiving loan sanction consent (from central government). . This Council currently has no outstanding borrowings.
Cemeteries*
Provision and maintenance of burial grounds, cemeteries, crematoria, mortuaries and post-mortem rooms.
Churchyards
Power to contribute to the cost of a churchyard in use and a duty to maintain any closed churchyard where the duty has been transferred by the Church of England.
Clocks*
Provision and maintenance of public clocks, on churches or elsewhere.
Commons
Power to protect any finally registered common which has no registered owner
Crime prevention*Installation of equipment and establishment of schemes for the detection or prevention of crime; making grants to the Police authority for these purposes.
Entertainments*
Provision of any form of public entertainment and any premises for giving entertainments (this includes maintaining bands or orchestras and providing for dancing).
Halls*
Provision of buildings for public meetings and functions, for indoor sports or physical recreation, or for the use of clubs or societies having recreational, social or athletic objectives.
Legal Proceedings Power to prosecute and defend any legal proceedings in the interest of the inhabitants. Power to take part in any public local enquiry.
Lighting
Provision and maintenance of any footway lighting which lights roads or pavements provided the columns are not above specified heights.
Litter*
Provision of litter-bins in streets and support for anti-litter campaigns.
Open Spaces Provision and maintenance of public open spaces, pleasure grounds and public walks.
Parking Places
Provision and management of car and cycle parks.
Parks
Provision and maintenance of public parks and appropriate facilities
Planning
Parish Councils have a right to be notified of any planning application affecting their area and to make comments which the planning authority must take into account.
Playing Fields*
Provision and maintenance of land for any kind of outdoor recreation, including boating pools.
Ponds*
Power to deal with ponds, pools or other places containing filth or matter prejudicial to health.
Post and Telephone
Power to guarantee the postal or telephone authorities against a loss on a facility
Public Lavatories
Provision and maintenance of public lavatories.
Rights of Way
Maintenance of public footpaths and bridleways.
Roadside verges
Power to plant and maintain roadside verges.
Seats*
Provision and maintenance of public seats on the highway.
Shelters*
Provision and maintenance of shelters for general public use and also particularly for bus passengers.
Signs
Power to erect signs which warn of dangers or announce a place name, or indicate a bus stop.
Swimming*
Provision of indoor or outdoor swimming pools or bathing places.
Tourism*
Provision of facilities for conferences and encouragement of recreational and business tourism.
Traffic calming
Contribution towards the cost of traffic calming works provided by highway authorities.
Transport*
Establishment of car-sharing and taxi fare concession schemes; making grants for community bus services for the elderly or disabled; investigation of public transport, road and traffic provision and needs; provision of information about public transport services.
Village Green*
Powers to maintain the village green.
General Expenditure Power
In any situation not covered by one of the specific powers described above a Council may spend money on any purpose which in its opinion is of direct benefit to its area or its inhabitants. The total expenditure by the Council on all the cases under this general power must not exceed £8.12 per local government elector in the Parish in the financial year 2019/20.
Parish Councils have accumulated and evolved powers over the years, through various Acts of Parliament. In some areas these powers are quite extensive whilst in others they are very limited or non-existent. As always, the devil is in the detail and whilst it may appear that the Council has a certain power, it may be that it is limited by a requirement to obtain the consent of another body (for example the approval of the County Council to the provision of a car park). The summaries here are brief and anyone wishing to have further information should contact the Clerk.
The list is alphabetical and those powers marked with an asterisk indicate that, in addition to exercising the power itself, the Council may also help another body to act by giving financial assistance.
Allotments
Provision and maintenance of allotments for cultivation.
Arts*
Developing and improving knowledge of the arts and the crafts which serve the arts.
Baths
Provision of baths and wash-houses (which in modern terms may mean a launderette).
Borrowing
Parish Councils can borrow money for up to a maximum of 25 years after receiving loan sanction consent (from central government). . This Council currently has no outstanding borrowings.
Cemeteries*
Provision and maintenance of burial grounds, cemeteries, crematoria, mortuaries and post-mortem rooms.
Churchyards
Power to contribute to the cost of a churchyard in use and a duty to maintain any closed churchyard where the duty has been transferred by the Church of England.
Clocks*
Provision and maintenance of public clocks, on churches or elsewhere.
Commons
Power to protect any finally registered common which has no registered owner
Crime prevention*Installation of equipment and establishment of schemes for the detection or prevention of crime; making grants to the Police authority for these purposes.
Entertainments*
Provision of any form of public entertainment and any premises for giving entertainments (this includes maintaining bands or orchestras and providing for dancing).
Halls*
Provision of buildings for public meetings and functions, for indoor sports or physical recreation, or for the use of clubs or societies having recreational, social or athletic objectives.
Legal Proceedings Power to prosecute and defend any legal proceedings in the interest of the inhabitants. Power to take part in any public local enquiry.
Lighting
Provision and maintenance of any footway lighting which lights roads or pavements provided the columns are not above specified heights.
Litter*
Provision of litter-bins in streets and support for anti-litter campaigns.
Open Spaces Provision and maintenance of public open spaces, pleasure grounds and public walks.
Parking Places
Provision and management of car and cycle parks.
Parks
Provision and maintenance of public parks and appropriate facilities
Planning
Parish Councils have a right to be notified of any planning application affecting their area and to make comments which the planning authority must take into account.
Playing Fields*
Provision and maintenance of land for any kind of outdoor recreation, including boating pools.
Ponds*
Power to deal with ponds, pools or other places containing filth or matter prejudicial to health.
Post and Telephone
Power to guarantee the postal or telephone authorities against a loss on a facility
Public Lavatories
Provision and maintenance of public lavatories.
Rights of Way
Maintenance of public footpaths and bridleways.
Roadside verges
Power to plant and maintain roadside verges.
Seats*
Provision and maintenance of public seats on the highway.
Shelters*
Provision and maintenance of shelters for general public use and also particularly for bus passengers.
Signs
Power to erect signs which warn of dangers or announce a place name, or indicate a bus stop.
Swimming*
Provision of indoor or outdoor swimming pools or bathing places.
Tourism*
Provision of facilities for conferences and encouragement of recreational and business tourism.
Traffic calming
Contribution towards the cost of traffic calming works provided by highway authorities.
Transport*
Establishment of car-sharing and taxi fare concession schemes; making grants for community bus services for the elderly or disabled; investigation of public transport, road and traffic provision and needs; provision of information about public transport services.
Village Green*
Powers to maintain the village green.
General Expenditure Power
In any situation not covered by one of the specific powers described above a Council may spend money on any purpose which in its opinion is of direct benefit to its area or its inhabitants. The total expenditure by the Council on all the cases under this general power must not exceed £8.12 per local government elector in the Parish in the financial year 2019/20.