What is the Parish Council?
Hullavington Parish Council represents the first tier of local government, serving as a democratically elected body dedicated to addressing the needs and priorities of the parish community. The Council comprises nine Councillors, each elected to serve a four-year term. In the event of a vacancy, a new Councillor is either elected or co-opted to serve until the next scheduled election. It is a statutory body, meaning it has legal standing and responsibilities, and its powers are granted by Parliament.
The Council is responsible for setting policy that supports the social, cultural, environmental, and welfare interests of parish residents. To ensure effective implementation of its decisions, the Council employs a part-time Clerk, who acts as its executive officer and administrator.
All Councillors are bound by the Parish Council Code of Conduct and are required to complete a Register of Interests, promoting transparency and accountability in public service.
To support its work, the Council may establish Committees focused on specific areas of responsibility. Where appropriate, non-Councillors may be co-opted onto these Committees, enabling the Council to draw upon the expertise and talents of local residents. This inclusive approach has proven valuable in addressing complex or specialist matters.
What does the Parish Council do?
Whilst the Council has little in the way of direct power, it has a reasonable amount of influence and is consulted by other tiers of local government and national government on a wide range of issues. A good example of this is in relation to planning, where the responsible authority is Wiltshire Council. All details of every planning application within the Parish are given to the Parish Council for review, and comments are taken into account when decisions are reached.
Another example is Wiltshire Council, which is the Highway Authority, but which consults with the parish over any road scheme or traffic calming measure.
The Parish council is directly responsible for providing various services to the village.
How is the Parish Council paid for?
Every year the Council sets its budget, and the amount it requires to operate that budget is known as the Parish Precept. This amount is collected by Wiltshire Council from the Council Tax paid by residents of the parish.
Audited accounts are produced each year and as part of the audit system the accounts are available for public inspection. Details of the inspection system are posted at the appropriate time on the Parish Council’s notice board.