What is a Parish Council?
A Parish Council is a local authority that makes decisions on behalf of the people in the parish. It is the level of government closest to the community. As it is the authority closest to the people, parish councils are often the first place residents will go with concerns or ideas. For this reason, they are a vital part of any community.
Parish Councils’ Power
Parish Councils have a wide range of powers which essentially relate to local matters, which include, where relevant, looking after community buildings they may own, open spaces, cemeteries and much more. Parish Councils also have the power to raise money through taxation, referred to as the precept. The precept is the parish council’s share of the council tax. The precept demand goes to the billing authority (in this case North Yorkshire Council) which collects the tax for the parish council.
How the Parish Council works
Preston under Scar has five Parish Councillors whose current term of office lasts until May 2027, when the next ordinary Parish Council election will take place. The names and contact details of the current Parish Councillors can be found on this page of the website. Parish Councillors do not receive any pay or allowance for carrying out this role. Parish Councillors are required to sign up to a Code of Conduct and to register their financial interests, together with those of their spouse/partner. Councillors are also required to declare any interests they have in any matter the Parish Council is discussing. If those interests are significant, they are required to leave the meeting
The Parish Council meets formally 4 or 5 times during the year in Preston under Scar Village Hall. The agenda for each meeting is published on the Parish Noticeboard and also on this website about a week before each meeting. All of the reports for Parish Council meetings are also published on the website, except for any which contain confidential information. Residents can, through the Clerk, request the Parish Council to consider a specific matter at a meeting. Additional formal meetings are held as the need arises and Councillors also meet informally from time to time (in person or remotely) for example to carry out a site visit or to discuss a particular issue.
All formal Parish Council meetings are open to the public but the Council does have the power to exclude the public from a meeting or a part of a meeting if it is considering confidential business. This happens very rarely. Parish Council Meetings generally last for approximately one and a half hours, depending on the agenda for the meeting. The Minutes of all Parish Council meetings are published on this website
Although individual Councillors are able to take a lead role on a project or issue and may, for example, explore and report back on courses of action which are open to the Council on an issue or find out more about an issue, they are not able individually to commit the Parish Council to any particular course of action or expenditure or otherwise to take decisions on its behalf. This can only be done by the Parish Council, as a whole, within a meeting, or by the Clerk acting under powers which the Parish Council have delegated.
The Clerk has been authorised to take decisions, where necessary, between meetings on behalf of the Parish Council, if those decisions cannot wait until the next meeting. All Parish Councillors are consulted before any such decisions are taken and the Clerk reports to the next available meeting on any decisions made so that they are properly and publicly recorded. The Clerk has also been authorised to approve the payment of invoices. A list of the powers which the Parish Council has delegated to the Clerk is included below as part of the section on the role of the Clerk.
How long does a parish councillor serve for?
Once elected, Parish Councillors serve on the council for a maximum of four years at any one time. If they then want to stay in the role they are able to stand for re-election.
Councillors are expected to attend regular meetings and any additional meetings as may be arranged, and to represent the electors of Preston under Scar in raising and discussing those issues of interest and concern on which the Parish Council has the powers to act.
A Parish Councillor may resign from the Council during their period of office. If this happens, public notice of a vacancy is given and any 2 electors of the parish may require a by-election to be held. If there is no request for a by-election, the Parish Council may co-opt someone who is eligible to be a Parish Councillor (see following section) to serve on the Council for the remainder of the outgoing Councillors term of office.
Eligibility to be a Parish Councillor
To stand for election, or to be co-opted onto the Parish Council
you must be:
- a British subject, or a citizen of the Commonwealth or the European Union
- over 18 years of age
and additionally, you must meet one of the following criteria:
- be a local government elector for the council area for which you want to stand
- have during the whole of the 12 months occupied as owner or tenant any land or other premises in the council area or within 3 miles of it for the whole period
- have during that same period had your principal or only place of work in the council area or within 3 miles of it for the whole period.
You cannot stand for election if you:
- are subject of a bankruptcy restriction order or interim order.
- have, within five years before the day of the election, been convicted in the United Kingdom of any offence and have had a sentence of imprisonment (whether suspended or not) for a period of over three months without the option of a fine.
- you work for the council you want to become a councillor for (but you can work for other local authorities, including the principal authorities that represent the same area).
You do not have to be connected to a political party.
The role of the Clerk to the Parish Council
The Council is supported by a part time paid Clerk who is also the Council’s Responsible Financial Officer. The Clerk is a non-partisan and independent officer and employee. S/he must carry out the work and lawful instructions of the council irrespective of personal opinion or preference. The Clerk is the “Proper Officer” of the Council and is responsible, amongst other things, for:
- advising the Council on the law and on the procedures to be followed at Parish Council meetings
- preparing and publishing the agenda for and minutes of Parish Council meetings
- implementation of Parish Council decisions
- Ensuring that the Parish Council comply with its legal obligations and responsibilities and that statutory and other provisions governing or affecting the running of the Parish Council are observed;
- Acting as the Responsible Financial Officer ensuring the effective administration of the Parish Council’s finances including monitoring and balancing the Parish Council's accounts and preparing records for audit purposes and VAT
The Parish Map shows the boundary administered by Preston Under Scar Parish Council.