Bishopstone Parish Council

The Work of the Parish Council

Parish Councils have a wide range of powers although most of these are discretionary in that the Council may

do rather than must do. 

Many of these powers are also ones that may be exercised by either the Parish Council or the District Council.

In practice the District Council mainly chooses not to delegate powers to parishes.

The law demands that District, County and Unitary Councils must consult Parish Councils on certain matters

affecting the parish. There is no obligation to act in accordance with the views of the local parish.

In practice the activities of Bishopstone Parish Council include the following :

• Town and Country Planning Applications from Bishopstone are assessed by Salisbury District Council.

   

  Most planning applications will be decided according to the relevant policies in the Salisbury District

  Local Plan. Council officials look at whether the application is consistent with the Plan. Even so, the

  Parish Council and the neighbours are consulted for their views. In marginal cases or where  

  some interpretation of the Local Plan will be required then a good deal of notice is taken of what the

  Parish Council has to say in support or in objection to an application.

   

• Representing the views of parishioners, either individuals or groups, to "the authorities". This embraces

  activities as diverse as speed limits, pollution, highway maintenance, nuisance, bus service, flooding, council services, anti-social behaviour. 

   

• Monitoring and arranging maintenance of Rights of Way.

   

• Working with the Wiltshire County Council Parish Steward. Once per month our Parish Steward visits

  Bishopstone to carry out tasks requested by the Parish Council. See the Parish Steward page on the web site.

   

• Contributing to the forward planning process of County and District Council. Central government

  increasingly sets out the general path that it wants local government to follow. It results in a process

  generating discussion documents, consultation exercises and drafts that the Parish Council is invited to

  comment upon or contribute to. 

   

• Managing the Recreation Ground. See the Recreation Ground page on the web site.

   

• The bi-monthly Parish Council Meeting drives the actions required. It is the forum where the Council can

  determine its policies and implement them.

   

  Minutes of meetings (records of discussions and decisions made) are kept by the Parish Clerk. The

  approved minutes are posted on the web site. 

   

  A general report of a Parish Council meeting is published in STAB, the parish magazine. 

   

  Income
  
  The Council sets a budget each January from which it is able to quantify the funds required from

  parishioners in the form of a village tax. This "precept" is collected by Salisbury District Council through

  the council tax.

   

  In recent years most parishes have tried not to increase the "precept". Bishopstone has also done this

  since it is relatively simple to control the cost of running the council. In future small increases may be

  required if further necessary improvements are to be made to the village and its surroundings.
  
  The Parish Council also has access to funds that are required to be paid by anyone building a new house

  or substantially converting an old property like a barn within the Parish.

   

  Salisbury District Council consider that developers ought to take some responsibility for the provision of

  outdoor sport and recreational facilities. Clearly this would be a problem when one new house is built

  since the builder could not provide facilities just for that house. The policy is therefore for a developer to

  pay a levy to Salisbury District Council who hold it as a fund available to the Parish Council.

   

  Further information can be found at

  http://www.salisbury.gov.uk/planning/forward-planning/r2.htm  
  
  Expenditure
  
  Details of what is being spent against the budget are routinely examined by the Parish Council.
  

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