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West Monkton Parish Council square
What does your Parish Council do?
  • By West Monkton Parish Council

West Monkton Parish Council funds and/or delivers the following aspects of community life, its responsibilities include:

  • Allotments – manage tenancy agreements, mow paths, pay for water supply
  • Burial Ground supported by annual grant (Closed churchyard maintained by SWT)
  • Bus Shelters provision and cleaning
  • Communications – from time to time the Parish Council will send mailed information to every dwelling and business in the Parish – e.g. Covid advice, surveys. PC website (westmonkton.net) and Monkton Matters website (www.monktonmatters.co.uk)
  • Community Centre at Brittons Ash Community Hall (BACH)
  • Drainage – of ditches and ponds – Water Watcher volunteers are being recruited
  • Defibrillators in public places: supply install and maintain at BACH, Tacchi-Morris
  • Entertainment and the Arts – support for Tacchi Morris
  • Environment – secure, deliver and maintain measures that deliver the Parish Council’s Climate and Ecological Emergency Declaration
  • 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. The Parish Council is focused on community empowerment and engagement; identifying needs within the community to offer bespoke services to meet their needs
  • Gifts – Parish Councils may accept gifts within legal limits and declared
  • Grants – the Parish Council can award grants to individuals and groups to support schemes that will benefit the health and well-being of the community, and support climate resilience measures such as extra insulation on properties
  • Grit bins – provision and ensuring timely refill for icy conditions
  • 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
  • Insurance of Parish Council assets, public liability
  • IT – provide appropriate technology for staff, maintain social media and other communications
  • 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
  • Lengthsman – Hire of Lengthsman Services for general parish maintenance, weeding gutters, strimming open spaces and footpaths, installing footpath gates and maintenance of footpaths, refurbishment of benches /noticeboards, checking grit bins
  • Litter – provision of litter-bins and support for any anti-litter campaigns, provide litter picks and hoops for volunteers
  • Noticeboards – supply, install and maintain
  • Planning – parish councils may be notified of any planning applications for the area and can make comments in respect of them
  • Play provision – maintain and ensure safety of play parks, provision of Map for location of all play areas in the Parish
  • Policies – review and update policies determining Parish Council activities
  • Postal and Telecommunication Facilities – power to pay a public telecommunications operator any loss sustained in providing services in that area
  • Recreation – provision of recreation grounds, public walkways, pleasure grounds, open spaces, although there are no village greens, gymnasiums, playing fields, holiday camps and boating ponds, the Parish Council has the legal power to provide
  • Rights of Way – footpath and bridleway maintenance
  • Seats (public)
  • Signs – danger and directional signs, place names and bus stops signs
  • Tourism – financial contributions to any local tourist organisations is allowed
  • Traffic Calming – the Parish Council has purchased a Speed Indicator Device
  • Training – provide appropriate training for staff and volunteers
  • Volunteers – manage health and safety of volunteers on Parish Council volunteering
  • War Memorials
  • Water Supply – power to utilise stream, well or spring water and to provide facilities for general use

CAN’T FIND WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR? MAY BE IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF DISTRICT COUNCIL (SOMERSET WEST AND TAUNTON) OR SOMERSET COUNTY COUNCIL

Please refer to the tick box summary available here Tick box summary to check allocation of responsibilities over the three levels of government.

 

Still not sure? Contact the Clerks: clerk@westmontkon.net, assistantclerk2@westmonkton.net or community@westmonkton.net