Parish Councils are the first tier of government and are the initial point of contact for anyone concerned with a community issue. They are democratically elected local authorities and exist in England, Wales and Scotland.
Parish councils are made up of locally elected councillors. They are legally obliged to hold at least one meeting a year. Kings Worthy meets on a four-weekly cycle to discuss council business.
In addition, there are three committees made up of councillors, dealing with Finance, Recreation & Amenities and Planning. County and City councillors regularly attend Parish meetings to report back on developments in the parish.
Kings Worthy has responsibility for the following;
- Burial Ground at Lovedon Lane.
- Bus Shelters.
- Community Centre at Tubbs Hall.
- Footpaths on Recreation Areas.
- General Expenditure - Parish councils can spend a limited amount of money on anything they deem of benefit to the community that is not covered by the other specific responsibilities described in this list
- Gifts - Parish councils may accept gifts.
- Legal proceedings - power to prosecute and defend any legal proceedings in the interests of the community, power to take part in any public enquiry.
- Litter - provision of litter-bins and support for any anti-litter campaigns on Parish Recreation Grounds.
- Planning - Parish councils must be notified of any planning applications for the area. Comments submitted to the Planning Authority by the Parish Council must be taken into account.
- Recreation - provision of recreation grounds at Eversley Park, Broadview, Church Green, Hinton Park and Fraser Road.
- Rights of Way - footpath maintenance.
- Seats.
Members of the Parish Council are all either elected for a term of four years or if there are not enough people standing at election time, co-opted to serve the community in a voluntary capacity. No Councillor is able to receive any payment other than out of pocket expenses.
People of any political or religious persuasion are eligible to become a Councillor, although their personal views should not extend into their parish council work. They are elected to represent the interests of the local community as a whole and to promote a harmonious local environment.
The number of elected councillors depends on the size of the area. Kings Worthy has 12 councillors. Councillors attend meetings of the full council and participate in committees. Councillors take collective decisions that form the policy of the council.
The affairs of the Parish Council are held in public. Parishioners have a right to receive information on and attend meetings of the Parish Council and to this end the Parish Council produces a Newsletter and maintains this website. You can contact the clerk with any concerns or ideas that will benefit the village and its residents.
The funding for parish councils is allocated by the district council and is taken from the area's council tax; this is called an annual precept. The income and expenditure for the next financial year are calculated in the form of a budget and this amount is added to the local council tax and then returned to the parish.
The Rural White Paper 'Our Countryside: The Future, a Fair Deal for Rural England' published in November 2000, recognised the important role of the first tier of local government and proposed a number of initiatives designed to enhance the role of parish councils.
Clerk to the Parish Council
The Clerk to the Parish Council is currently Colin Arnett. The Clerk is responsible for the day to day management of the Parish Council, the servicing of its meetings and the preparation of accounts to be submitted to the district auditor.
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