A parish council is a local authority that makes decisions on behalf of the people in the parish. It’s the first tier of local government and the closest to the community, with the district authority (Dorset Council) above it in the hierarchy. A vital part of the community, the parish council is the first place residents tend to go with concerns or ideas.

What decisions do Parish Councils make? 

Decisions that affect the local community, such as: planning matters (statutory consultees), crime-prevention, managing open spaces and campaigning for and delivering better services and facilities. Powers are limited, but the parish council does have the ability to negotiate and influence other organisations that make the final decisions.

What powers do Parish Councils have? 

In essence, these are related to local matters such as maintaining community buildings, open spaces, allotments, play areas and bus shelters. The council has the power to raise money through taxation, known as the precept. This is the Parish Council’s share of the council tax. Our precept may increase annually and can be clearly seen in the relevant financial documents available to read on this website.

Members

Our parish council comprises seven elected or co-opted councillors. Councillors are either elected by the residents of the Parish of Winfrith and East Knighton, or co-opted by current councillors. Co-option occurs when either there have been insufficient candidates to fill all of the available seats at an election, or a casual vacancy (such as a sitting councillor resigning) has arisen between elections and there is no demand to hold a by-election. The number of councillors allocated to any particular town or parish council is determined by Dorset Council and based upon the size of the local population. In addition to our seven councillors, we have a Parish Clerk.

The Parish Clerk, or Proper Officer, is a paid employee and the only member of the council to receive any remuneration. This Proper Officer is under a statutory duty to carry out all the functions of and, in particular, to serve or issue all the notifications required by law of that post. The Clerk/Proper Officer is responsible for ensuring that the instructions of the Council, in connection with its function as a Local Authority, are carried out. His or her many responsibilities include monitoring and balancing the council’s accounts and preparing financial records for audit purposes and VAT. All of our financial documents can be viewed in the Documents Page.

Want to become a Parish Councillor? 

Councillors are able to plan for emergencies (flooding is an obvious potential emergency within our parish), influence some decisions for the benefit of the people they serve and help to make changes for the better. To be eligible for election or co-option, you must be aged at least 18, a British or eligible Commonwealth citizen and have worked, or owned land, within the parish boundary, or lived inside or within three miles of the parish boundary during the whole of the 12 months period preceding your nomination and the day of the parish council elections. There are some disqualifications – full information can be found in our COUNCILLORS page and if you click on this link: THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION website.