Role of the Council

There are some 8,500 parish councils in England, where they form the lowest tier of local government. They are not involved with the administration of religious parishes; that is the preserve of the parochial church councils, with whom parish councils are sometimes confused.

All councils are constituted in the same way; councillors are elected by the local government electorate and serve for a period of 4 years. The number of councillors is fixed by the principal council ie South Northants Council (SNC). Ashton Parish Council has seven councillors, who serve voluntarily and are unpaid. The Council is supported and its business administered by a paid Clerk, whose full title is Clerk and Proper Officer as the role has duties and responsibilities under the law.

Each council has a Chair, who must be one of the elected councillors. The Chair is elected annually by the councillors at the annual meeting in May. The council is a body corporate and thus its lawful acts, assets and liabilities are its own and not those of its councillors or any other council. Individual councillors cannot make decisions in isolation.

All parish councils have discretionary powers and rights laid down by Parliament to represent their communities and provide services for them. Recent government policy and legislation has been to develop through ‘localism’ and thus parish councils are encouraged to act as a focus for local opinion as well as providing ways to get things done in a manner that is best suited to their local community. A council must act within the law. It can only spend, raise or use money if it has a statutory power to do so, otherwise it acts ultra vires (beyond its powers). Parish councils have a wide range of powers under different acts of Parliament. Most of these powers are discretionary, i.e. a council may do something, rather than it must do something.

As the lowest tier of democratically elected representatives in the country, parish councils have the mandate to speak on behalf of the people they represent. It is important to note that whilst parish councils are consulted by the principal council (SNC) on planning applications, they do not decide whether permission is granted or refused; that decision falls to the Planning Authority (SNC), not the parish council.

A parish council has the unfettered right to raise money by precept (a mandatory demand) on the principal council (SNC). The precept required by a parish council is then collected by the principal council as part of the council tax levied on tax payers in that parish.

There are certain obligations which by law a parish council must fulfil. For example:

• It must hold an annual meeting;
• It must hold at least three other meetings a year;
• It must appoint such officers as it believes necessary for the proper discharge of its functions. This must include an officer responsible for the proper administration of financial affairs; the Ashton PC Clerk is the appointed Responsible Financial Officer
• It must make Standing Orders for the supply of goods and services to the council.

Parish Council Elections

We need as many Ashton residents as possible to consider becoming Parish Councillors, so as to fully represent the Village in day-to-day decisions concerning expenditure, planning applications, maintenance etc.

Unfortunately there were less than the maximum number of councillors standing as candidates this year (2021). Therefore those who did stand were elected unopposed. Please see the Returning Officer’s Declaration below.:

Notice of Uncontested Election

Please read the publications below for more information, and speak to the Clerk, Lynn Lavender about the process - clerk@ashtonpc.org.uk

Notice of Election

Nomination Pack    - to be printed off.

What do Local Councils do?

Being a Local Councillor

Good Councillor’s Guide

Becoming a Parish Councillor

Candidates Briefing

Agendas Minutes

Policies Procedures & Governance Transparency Code Information

Supporting Documents