● Village News

What is a Parish?
● Site Directory
● Welcome
● Parish Council
● Nonington School
● Royal Oak
● Churches
● Local Groups
● Guestbook
● Fun Stuff
● Online Shopping
● Local Transport

● Local Services
● Village Links
● Village History
● Local Business
● War Memorial

● Local Weather

 

There are two types of parishes whose boundaries do not always coincide. There are:

  1. The Ecclesiastical Parishes centred on an Anglican church with a parochial church council chaired by the vicar.

  2. The Civil Parishes, which are part of local administration.

Nonington Parish Council is in the latter category.

What is a Civil Parish?

A civil parish is an independent local democratic unit for villages. Each parish holds an annual parish meeting - held in March – to which are invited all its local government electors. All parishes where the electorate exceeds 200 have a Parish Council. Over 12 million people live in such parishes.

What is the Parish Council?

The council is a small local authority. Its Councillors are elected for four years at a time in the same way as for other councils. Nonington PC is entitled to seven councillors. At the last election in May 2003, five councillors were elected, leaving a vacancy for two councillors who can be co-opted at any time by a majority of existing councillors.

The Council is the corporation of its village and each year the councillors choose a chairman from amongst their number, together with a vice-chairman and various committees and representatives to oversee specific areas of activity, such as planning, footpaths and transport. They also appoint a Governor to serve on the Board of Governors at the local school Nonington CEPS.

What powers have Parish Councils to do things in their area?

Parish Councils have many powers. In Nonington, we look after the playing field and the pond area. We provide a burial ground for future use and inspect all footpaths in the parish. We also provide seats in public places and pass on requests to the appropriate authority to remedy blocked drains, faulty street lights and paths, which are unsafe due to leaves etc.

How much does the Parish Council cost?

Parish Councils are the most unbureaucratic and the cheapest kind of local authority in existence. Their funds are a tiny part of the council tax. They receive no government funding and set a precept annually. This is collected by the District Council and passed to Nonington PC.

The accounts are verified twice a year and audited annually.

Basically, parish councils have the power and duty to improve village life by spending money on things, which, in their opinion are in the interests of the parish and its inhabitants.

The following is a summary of powers and activities as applicable to Nonington Parish Council (in alphabetical order).

  • Cemeteries Provision and maintenance of burial grounds.

  • Footpaths Maintenance of public footpaths and bridleways.

  • Legal Proceedings Power to take part in any legal proceedings or public enquiry in the interests of the inhabitants.

  • Lighting Supervision of local footpath and road lighting to ensure faults are reported to the appropriate authority.

  • Litter Supervision of litter bins and organising the clearance of litter through ‘Green Gangs’.

  • Open Spaces Provision and maintenance of public open spaces for leisure and recreation.

  • Parks Provision and maintenance of public parks and playing fields together with associated equipment.

  • Ponds Power to deal with ponds and keep them in an environmentally healthy state.

  • Roadside Verges Power to plant and maintain roadside verges.

  • Shelters Power to arrange provision and maintenance of shelters for general public use and also particularly for bus passengers.

  • General Expenditure In any situation not covered by one of the specific powers described above, the council may spend money on any purpose for the benefit of the area or its inhabitants.

Philip Holt, Chairman, October 2003