NEWSLETTER FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL August/September 2007

•   David Bettoney – Parish Clerk

Thanks to those who produce the Church newsletter and help with the production of this.

The Parish Council is now:

•   John K Welsby CBE – as Chairman
•   Nick Burgess –  as Deputy Chairman
•   Mike Bostock
•   Howard Castle
•   Erica Eden
•   Bryan Hollingsworth
•   L H George Livingstone-Learmonth

The next meeting is 8th October 2007 at 7:30pm in the village hall. All members of the public are welcome and may address the council in Open Forum.

Explanations!

It may be worthwhile if I now explain who are the people concerned with the Parish Council and their function. It is easy to assume that residents know all about it and I am now aware that this may not in fact be the case. I am the Parish Clerk and write the newsletter; the views are very largely my own although I do hope that they bear some relation to the facts. The Parish Council consists of 7 Councillors [who elect a Chairman] and who are a point of contact for members of the public to raise any matters of local and more general concern. The Parish Council meets about every six weeks and I am responsible for putting into effect any decisions that have been made, which often means contacting other bodies such as the District and County Councils. The Parish Council also has a small budget and I am responsible for making sure that it is spent effectively and that it is accounted for. The number of transactions is small in each year, everything is paid into the bank and payments are always made by cheque. Members of the public are entitled to see the accounts and ask questions.

Mid Devon District Council operates from Tiverton and is responsible for most of the day to day services such as rubbish collections whereas Devon County Council is responsible for Highways and Streetlights.

There is also the Parochial Church Council [PCC], which “runs” the spiritual side of the parish. Those fans of the “Vicar of Dibley” may recall their amazing “Parish Council” meetings; those seem – in fact – to be meetings of the PCC.