Author: Fretherne With Saul Clerk

The chance to have your voice heard is on offer to people in Stroud District Council area.

Local elections for town and parish councils are due to be held in the near future and Fretherne with Saul Parish Council is urging local people to find out more.

Surveys reveal that while many people want a say in how their area is run many do not even know who their councillors are. Come along to a Parish Council meeting to understand what a parish council does, who your councillors are, what is involved in being a councillor and why you should vote.

Parish Clerk, Kay Brown, explains: “From the right to make representations on planning applications, to the state of footpaths and street lighting, parish and town councils have a wide range of responsibilities. They make decisions which affect your everyday life”.

“Many people may think their opinions don’t count and public statements over the years have further reduced the hope that local action can or will make any difference. The answer is – you vote, you decide. It’s an important way of having your say on the issues you care about and choosing who will make decisions on your behalf.”

“In the coming weeks, you will be asked to vote for someone to represent your views, so the message is – come along, get involved and find out. It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to become a local councillor, you might know someone who does. By voting and getting involved, you might be able to ensure a better service.”

Kay continues: “Not voting is inviting someone else to tell you how your life and community should be run. Find out more about your local council and help them to understand your community needs.”

While Parish Councillors give their time freely, it is important to remember that they are not volunteers, but elected members of local government, they conduct their business within a legal framework and are responsible to all the residents in the parish. Councillors serve a four-year term (with possible extension).

Councillors are local leaders, community-minded people with a desire to participate in shaping the future of their parish. In order for all the residents in an area to have their views heard it is important that Councillors’ represent a diversity of thinking and backgrounds.

Councils have extensive powers and can lead on a range of issues. They can take climate action, encourage biodiversity, and create sustainable, happy communities with socially active young people and provision for the elderly.

Councillors will have responsibility for running local services which may include open spaces, play areas, village halls, community transport schemes and much more. They decide how much money to raise through the Council tax to deliver these Council’s services.

They influence and shape the long-term development policy for the parish, and as part of the planning process, comment on planning applications. A Councils’ Neighbourhood Development Plan is its greatest insurance policy against wholesale development; it goes a long way to preserving the parish heritage and lifestyle and is spearheaded by Councillors who work to improve the quality of life and the environment in their local area.

Councillors work to identify issues which are important to the lives of the residents they represent.

They bring about improvements through local projects, lobbying other service providers and working in partnership with other parishes and agencies.

Prospective candidates are encouraged to attend their Council meetings to give them a clearer picture of what Councils do and the role they might play on their Council.

Fretherne with Saul Parish Council invites tenders for the provision of grass cutting and related grounds maintenance services commencing 1st April 2024. 

Please see link for details via link below.

Tender

Being a Parish Councillor

Local Councils

Grass roots tier

The role of the local council as the first tier of local government is that of the local authority which is the nearest elected body to the electors, and today there is a trend for more and more decisions to be taken at a local level. As a result of this, the role of the local councillor is becoming increasingly important. The decisions taken by local authorities vitally affect the quality of life within their area, and the role of the local council is of critical concern to the community it represents. Whilst there are broad similarities between one local authority and another, each has its own way of doing things. This depends upon history, tradition, and the statutory powers and responsibilities they possess.

Different sizes

As a tier of government, local councils are elected bodies with discretionary powers and rights laid down by Parliament to represent their communities and provide services for them. Parishes vary greatly in size. The majority are very small (40% represent fewer than 500 people). In contrast, 8% of the councils (those over 5,000 in population) represent 49% of the population with a local council. Where the population of the parish is very small, there may be no parish council, but electors may still meet together as a Parish Meeting.

What makes up a parish council?

A parish council in England consists of such number of councillors as may be fixed from time to time, not being less than five. Where a parish has a relatively large population, or where the population is scattered over a wide area, or where one parish contains two or more sections with separate interests, it may be convenient to divide the parish into wards for the purpose of electing councillors.

Councillors

A councillor is elected not only to represent his or her constituents but also to take decisions affecting the area of the council as a whole.

He or she has many different roles including corporate decision maker, corporate employer, policy formulator, representative on external bodies, citizen’s advocate and corporate protector of their parish and its environment.

Clerks

While some small parishes appoint an unpaid volunteer as Clerk, most councils employ a salaried Clerk whose overall responsibility is to carry out the policy decisions of the Council.

The Clerk is the head of the council’s administration and is the ‘Proper Officer’. He or she is often the only employee and therefore also acts as the Responsible Financial Officer.

The Clerk ensures that the business of the council runs smoothly and efficiently and is conducted in accordance with the law. He or she also ensures that the council’s financial transactions are properly authorised and recorded.

Meetings

A local council must hold an annual meeting each year. In addition to the annual meeting, a local council in England must hold at least three other meetings each year. Meetings of a local council may take place within or outside its area. They cannot be held in premises licensed for the sale of intoxicating liquor unless there is no other suitable room available either free of charge or at a reasonable cost. Public notice of meetings has to be given (at least three clear days for Council Meetings). In addition, every member of the council is entitled to receive a summons specifying the business to be transacted at a council meeting. Only specific business included in the summons should be transacted at a council meeting. There are statutory provisions dealing with

aspects of meetings, for example, quorum, manner of voting, and the recording of minutes. The public, including the press, are entitled to attend parish meetings under the Public Bodies (Admissions to Meetings) Act 1960.

Elections

Parish councillors are elected for a term of four years. Elections are held on the first Thursday in May. The next ordinary elections are scheduled for 2020. The right to vote at any local government election is dependent upon the person’s name having been entered in the current register of local government electors which is published annually. In all cases, the ordinary election of parish councillors is conducted by means of nomination of candidates by two electors and, if necessary, a poll. A person (unless disqualified) is qualified to be elected to be a councillor if he/she is a British subject, a Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of the Irish Republic if on the relevant day he/she is 21 years of age or over and (1) is and continues to be a local elector for the parish, (2) has during the whole of the 12 months preceding that day occupied as owner or tenant any land or other premises in the parish, (3) his/her principal or only place of work during those 12 months has been in the parish, or he/she has during the whole of those 12 months resided in the parish or within three miles of it.

Council Roles

Representing the People

The local council acts within the framework of legislation conferred on it by Parliament and forms the third tier of local government. Its functions are mainly discretionary, that is they amount to powers as opposed to duties.

The role of the local council may briefly be described as follows:-

Executive

As an executive body, the local council has many statutory functions, and, as the elected body of the parish, it has the power of decision. The local council is not answerable to the parish meeting, nor is it bound by any decision of any parish referendum. However, to ignore the views of parishioners strongly expressed at a parish meeting would be unwise since elected representatives could well pay the price at a subsequent election.

Representative

The local council often voices the views of local inhabitants on many issues. For example, it may make representations in respect of sensitive planning applications, or at local inquiries held in connection with a planning appeal or local plan. It may also nominate persons to represent its area on various bodies, for example it’s local crime and safety partnership.

Promotional

The local council is often the body required to take a lead in issues affecting the interests of its area. This is a natural role, as the local council may be the only body with initial access to information and with the resources and capability to act. There is an overlap between the promotional and representative roles of the local council.

(Information sourced from GAPTC)

Please note that the meeting scheduled for October 25th 2023 will now be held on November 2nd 2023.

Would you like to get more involved in your community?

For the parishioners in Fretherne, Saul and the Framilodes who are interested in becoming more involved in your parish, there are two Councillor vacancies on Fretherne with Saul Parish Council. If you would like to know more about what is involved in the role of being a Councillor, the Parish Council would be pleased to hear from you. Please get in touch via fwsparishclerk@gmail.com or come along to a meeting, the last Wednesday of the month, 7pm, Saul Memorial Hall. Agendas are posted on the notice boards in Saul and the Framilodes as well as on the website.

The UK government’s new Emergency Alerts system is now live.
The system will enable people to be contacted via their mobile phone when lives are in danger. On Sunday 23 April 2023 at 3pm, there will be a national test of the Emergency Alerts service.

It will be used to warn you in the event of emergencies, such as severe flooding.

Emergency Alerts are sent to all compatible mobile phones within an area of risk. They don’t track your location, need your phone number, or collect personal data. Only the government and the emergency services will be able to send them. If you don’t have a mobile phone, you’ll still be kept informed through other channels.

If you get an Emergency Alert on your phone, you’ll hear a loud, siren-like sound. A message on your screen will tell you about the emergency and how best to respond. You’ll be able to check an alert is genuine at gov.uk/alerts

If you receive an alert, read the alert carefully and follow the instructions.

You can opt out of receiving emergency alerts; for more information on how to opt out please go to gov.uk/alerts

To find out more about Emergency Alerts, visit gov.uk/alerts

An update: four lovely photo’s have been sent in of flowers grown from the seed distribution. Sadly, numerous seeds suffered from the heatwave we had in May/July but there are some success stories around the Parish.

To the Parishioners of Fretherne, Upper Framilode, Framilode Passage and Saul – an envelope with seeds inside will be popped through your letterbox over the Easter period as part of the Parish’s Celebration of the Coronation of King Charles III.

Parishes across the UK are being encouraged to take part in the Bee Square’d project; to provide pollinating insects, particularly bees, with a source of food. The Parish Council thought it would be a great idea to combine this with the Coronation celebrations in seeds which should flower in red, white and blue.

All pollinating insects, and in particular bees, are essential to life as we know it. They pollinate the plants which provide food that we need to survive and pollinate many trees and flowers that provide wildlife habitats. Many of the vegetables, fruit and crops grown as food sources for not just us but animals as well rely solely on insect pollination. Without this essential activity, we would go very hungry.

Over the past 50 years, pollinators have suffered a massive decline in numbers, with insects having to travel several miles each day. Join the Parish project to provide small pockets of bee and insect friendly flowers which will help provide insects with an energy boost in their busy routines.

The small envelope contains enough seeds for a square meter. The challenge is to plant a meter square plot in front of your home with the seeds and grow some pretty floral displays. Don’t worry if you haven’t got a front garden, a window box, planter or hanging baskets will be great. The insects will love all the wonderful flowers and the parish will look blooming lovely.