Hemswell Parish Council
Parish or Town Councils are an important tier of Government within the UK. Although a Parish Council is the smallest and most localised tier of local government in the UK, operating at a level below national government and below district and borough councils, it is closest to the issues affecting local residents, as illustrated below.
A Parish Council is a properly constituted local authority with powers, duties and functions laid out in local government statutes and regulations. Parish Councils should be there to help on local issues that impact the community, improving services or facilities, managing local sports grounds or running village and community halls.
Parish Councils are Statutory Bodies, having particular powers under several different Acts (the Local Government Act 1972, the Public Health Act 1936, etc.). Each council chooses what is appropriate for the community it serves. The Parish Council has legal responsibilities as an employer and sometimes as an owner of public land and buildings.
The Parish Council raises the funds it needs to provide local services by requesting an annual Precept in January ready for the start of the new financial year in April. The precept amount is determined by careful scrutiny and control of its budget and a detailed review of how well it has managed its resources and the services it provides. The Parish Council precept is added to the Council Tax bill and collected by Lincolnshire County Council on behalf of the Parish Council. The Council also has powers to raise funds for work it might want to do through grants from other organisations.
Hemswell Parish Councillors are elected to represent the local community and either live or work in the council area. A councillor’s role can include developing strategies and plans for the area, helping with problems and ideas, representing the community, working with other local community groups, making decisions, and talking to the community about their needs and what the council is doing. Find out more about your councillors and guidance via this link. (Opens in new browser window).
You can follow the links below to read minutes and reports from Parish Council meetings and download documents.
Hemswell Parish Council currently has vacancies!
Are you passionate about your community? Do you want to help make a long-lasting change? Do you have innovative ideas for the parish? Do you have concerns about a specific issue and want to do something about it? If this is you, then your Parish Council needs you. Make a change and become a councillor.
Councillors are elected to represent the local community, so you must either live or work in the council area. Although a Parish Council may not be able to make decisions on big national issues, it does have duties and powers that can make a difference to the community in which we live and work. A councillor’s role can include developing strategies and plans for the area, helping with problems and ideas, representing the community, working with other local community groups, decision-making and reviewing decisions and talking to the community about their needs and what the council is doing.
If you would be interested in supporting your local community by joining the Parish Council, please contact the clerk, Chair or one of our Parish Councillors - you can find out more on our vacancies page. We will be happy to send you details of what is involved and the criteria you need to meet to become a councillor. You can find out more about becoming a councillor on the National Association of Local Council (nalc) website.