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About Bromsberrow Parish Council

The Parish Council is the tier of local government closest to the people. The main role of the Parish Council is to provide a link between the local community and other service providers, other duties of the Parish Council include providing certain local services and providing views on local planning applications.

Bromsberrow Parish Council is comprised of 4 councillors elected by the parishioners and appointed by the District Council.

The Clerk is an employee of the Council working part-time and is responsible for the management of the Parish Council affairs.

Meetings of the Parish Council are held bi-monthly at 7.00pm in the Village Hall, members of the public are most welcome to attend the meetings and bring forward any concerns. Notice of Parish Council meetings are posted on the Parish Council Website and in the Parish noticeboard.

What powers and duties do parish councils have?

Parish councils have a variety of powers and duties, all of which impact directly on the community.
The following are all under the remit of local councils:
• Allotments
• Burial Grounds, Cemeteries, Churchyards and Crematoria
• Bus Shelters
• Bye-laws – the power to make bye-laws concerning:baths and washhouses (swimming pools), cycle parks, mortuaries and pleasure grounds
• Clocks – public clocks can be provided and must be maintained
• Community Centres, Conference Centres, Halls, Public Buildings
• Drainage – of ditches and ponds
• Entertainment and the Arts
• Footpaths
• General Spending – 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
• Highways – lighting, parking places, right to enter into discussions about new roads and road widening, consent of parish council required for diversion or discontinuation of highway, traffic signs and other notices, tree planting and verge maintenance
• Land – acquisition and sale of
• 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
• Planning – parish councils may be notified of any planning applications for the area
• Postal and Telecommunication Facilities – power to pay a public telecommunications operator any loss sustained in providing services in that area
• Public conveniences – provision and maintenance of public toilets
• Recreation – provision of recreation grounds, public walkways, pleasure grounds, open spaces, village greens, gymnasiums, playing fields, holiday camps and boating ponds
• Rights of Way – footpath and bridleway maintenance
• Seats (public)
• Signs – danger signs, place names and bus stops signs
• Tourism – financial contributions to any local tourist organisations allowed
• Traffic Calming
• War Memorials
• Water Supply – power to utilise stream, well or spring water and to provide facilities for general use

Parish Councillors are expected to:

• respond to residents’ queries and investigate their concerns
• communicate council decisions that affect the community
• know their area and be aware of any problems
• know and work with representatives of local organisations, interest groups and businesses
• represent their community’s views at council meetings

General Terms of reference

Councillors give their time, experience and skills on a voluntary basis, working together and with the local community to make Tibberton an even better place to live.

(a) The Chair and Vice-Chair are ex-officio members of all committees and advisory working groups.

(b) The committees and advisory working groups can decide whether it is appropriate to co-opt members who are not Parish Councillors. Co-opted members are people who are chosen by the appropriate body to represent a specific area of interest or issue of consideration. Councillors and co-opted members are expected to work equally. Co-opted members have voting rights according to the role given. A co-opted member to a committee only has voting rights for that committee.

(c) All committees and advisory working groups shall provide a written report with recommendations as necessary, to the Parish Council. If agreed by the Parish Council, recommendations may be referred back to the appropriate committee/advisory working group for further consideration.

(d) Committees must keep Minutes; advisory working groups will not be expected to keep separate minutes.

(e) Committees and advisory working groups do not have any delegated powers to make decisions binding on the Parish Council.

(f) Committees are public meetings; advisory working groups are not open to the public.

(g) Councillors can attend committees and advisory working groups even if they are not members.

(h) The Clerk shall service the Parish Council and committees, and relevant advisory working groups.

Role of the Parish Clerk

Becoming a Clerk to a Parish Council can be one of the most rewarding jobs in a local community. It is important to understand however that being a Clerk to a Parish Council is a job not a spare time activity, even if it takes only a few hours each week to do. 

Skills and attributes needed include a good deal of common sense, confidence to handle the administrative work, being a good organiser, IT literate and able to get on with most people. Underwriting these qualities is a sense of public duty – of wanting to help others in the community. 

The job is no different from large to small councils. What is different however is the amount of time needed to deal with the volume of business. For small parishes this need be only a few hours each week while for the larger councils it could be a full time commitment. 

Various courses are available in the county and a lot of learning will take place on the job during meetings and Clerk support groups where you will meet other clerks and start to get answers to the many questions you will have. 

A clerk can go on to complete the nationally recognised Certificate in Local Council Administration (CiLCA). Some councils may require that you obtain this qualification as a condition of employment. Further opportunities include structured training and study, leading, if you choose, to degree level qualification. 

Bromsberrow Parish Council operate nationally recognised rates of pay and conditions. You should expect a clear job description, a contract of employment and pay in accordance with national rates for the size of council. 

Most council meetings are held ‘out of hours’ and a parish clerk can be called upon at all times of a day so being a part time clerk is not just a daytime activity. 

The Parish councils in the county is often viewed as the part of government closest to the people. They are the only local government tier that represents residents at parish level. 

The parish clerk to the Council will be the Proper Officer of the Council and as such is under a statutory duty to carry out all the functions, and in particular to serve or issue all the notifications required by law of a local authority’s Proper Officer. The Clerk will be totally responsible for ensuring that the instructions of the Council in connection with its function as a Local Authority are carried out. The Clerk is expected to advise the Council on, and assist in the formation of, overall policies to be followed in respect of the Authority’s activities and in particular to produce all the information required for making effective decisions and to implement constructively all decisions. The person appointed will be accountable to the Council for the effective management of all its resources and will report to them as and when required. 

As with all local authorities a local council must arrange for the proper administration of its financial affairs and ensure that one of its officers has responsibility for those affairs. This officer is called the ‘responsible finance officer’ and is almost invariably the clerk. 

Responsibilities of a Parish Clerk 

  • To ensure that statutory and other provisions governing or affecting the running of the Council are observed.
  • To monitor and balance the Council’s accounts and prepare records for audit purposes and VAT.
  • To ensure that the Council’s obligations for Risk Assessment are properly met.
  • To prepare, in consultation with appropriate members, agendas for meetings of the Council and Committees.
  • To attend such meetings and prepare minutes for approval.
  • To attend all meetings of the Council.
  • To receive correspondence and documents on behalf of the Council and to deal with the correspondence or documents or bring such items to the attention of the Council.
  • To issue notices and prepare agendas and minutes for the Parish Meeting: to attend the assemblies of the Parish Meeting and to implement the decisions made at the assemblies that are agreed by the Council.

Personal Specification for the post of Parish Clerk

In considering applications for the post of Clerk, the Parish Council will have regard to the following.
ESSENTIAL
1. Able to demonstrate organisational and administrative skills.
2. Experience in financial management including the preparation of budgets and accounts.
3. Experience of attending meetings and minute taking.
4. Ability to work on own initiative.
5. ICT literacy, including the use of social media and updating website.
DESIRABLE.
1. Good interpersonal skills, verbal and written.
2. Experience of working in an administration role in a public organisation
3. ILCA or CiLCA Certificate or business qualification

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