Alconbury Weston Parish Council

 

WHAT IS THE PARISH COUNCIL, AND WHAT DOES IT DO?

Alconbury Weston Parish Council exists to discuss Community affairs and to work for the welfare of the Parish. It consists of a small number of Parish Councillors, unpaid volunteers who give of their time to serve the interests of Alconbury Weston (including Alconbury Hill) and the surrounding Parish. Every four years, the whole Council retires at the same time, and a new council is elected in local elections by people in the Parish who are on the electoral register. If a vacancy on the Council arises, as happens from time to time, it may be filled either in a by-election, or, if unopposed, by co-option.

The Full Council meets about every six weeks. Meetings are generally open to the public and press. There is also an Annual Parish Meeting every May, in which the Annual Report of the Parish Council Chairman is submitted, followed by the Annual General Meeting of the Full Council, at which the Council elects the Chairman and Vice-Chairman. Because it is a small council, the Parish Council has no sub-committees at present. The Council employs a Clerk, who oversees the administration of its affairs.

The powers and duties of the Parish Council, derived from various parts of legislation, are diverse. For example, the Council is responsible for looking after many of the open spaces in the Village, the Highfield Avenue play area, the Old Cemetery, and the Alconbury Hill Milestone. Where there is a clear benefit to the community, the Council assists many local associations financially. The Parish Council also works in a consultative role with Huntingdonshire District Council and with Cambridgeshire Country Council on matters such as planning and local footpaths.

The nature and scope of the Parish Council’s activities are related to how much local residents pay in an annual charge. This charge, called the precept, is the source of most of the Parish Council’s income. The precept is set each year by the Parish Council as part of its annual budgeting process. It is collected on the Parish Council’s behalf by Huntingdonshire District Council.

 

 

Alconbury Weston Parish Council perform a range of functions to provide management of the local facilities and environment. Some of these functions it conducts itself whilst in other cases it provides feed back to Huntingdonshire District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council and National Government. Alconbury Weston Parish Council has direct representation on Huntingdon District Council and numerous other local organisations.

But perhaps the most important responsibility taken on by the Alconbury Weston Parish Councillors is to maintain the public pride and civic dignity of the parish. Look around and observe your community. Most of what you see has been passionately devised, created, organised and maintained by dedicated citizens of the Alconbury Weston who have been elected as parish councillors over many years. This can only happen with the support of the rest of the population and that may mean you too.

 

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