Archived decisions

Contact: Paddy Hillary Ext. 7391

E mail: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 The following decisions are sought:

- That the County Council expresses support for a process whereby town and
parish councils may be accredited as Quality councils and congratulates
Headley and Hamble le Rice parish councils and Petersfield Town Council
on achieving Quality status.

- That the attached revised Parish Charter be agreed for the purpose of
consultation with Hampshire's town and parish councils through the county
association and that the Leader be authorised to agree drafting changes
following consultation and to give formal acceptance and agreement to the
revised Parish Charter.

2. Reason

2.1 This decision supports Aim 4 of the Corporate Strategy by proposing a Charter to improve working with parish authorities and to support their development.

3. Other options considered and rejected: Not applicable.

4. Conflicts of interest declared by the decision maker or other Executive member consulted - Not applicable.

5. Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee - Not applicable.

6. Reason(s) for the matter being dealt with if urgent - Not applicable.

Approved by: Date:

Councillor T K Thornber CBE

Contact : Paddy Hillary, Ext 7391
email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1. The following decisions are sought:

· That the County Council expresses support for a process whereby town and parish councils may be accredited as Quality councils and congratulates Headley and Hamble-le-Rice Parish Councils and Petersfield Town Council on achieving Quality status.

· That the attached revised Parish Charter be agreed for the purpose of consultation with Hampshire's town and parish councils through their county association, and that the Leader be authorised to agree drafting changes consequent on that consultation and to give the County Council's formal acceptance and agreement to a revised Parish Charter.

2. Background : A long-standing partnership between the County Council and Hampshire's parish and town councils

2.1. The County Council has a long-standing relationship with parish councils. Parish councils are the most local level of democratic expression of community views : they differ from many of the County Council's other partner organisations in this important respect - that they are democratically elected, and democratically accountable to the communities they serve and which elected them. Many County Council services have for many years worked in consultation and partnership with parish and town councils. The parish councils' county association, the Hampshire Association of Parish and Town Councils (HAPTC), receives financial support from the County Council to facilitate its role in representing parish councils' collective interest and in providing training and support to individual councils.

2.2. In May 1996 the County Council and HAPTC signed an agreement recognising common objectives and setting principles to guide partnership between County Council and parish and town councils. That Parish Charter now needs revision to reflect changing circumstances, the County Council's changed constitutional arrangements and the model charter included in Government guidance, published last June, on Quality parish and town councils.

3. The Quality Parish and Town Council Scheme

3.1. The Rural White Paper, `Our Countryside: The Future. A Fair Deal for Rural England,' published in November 2000, set out measures to give local people the opportunity to become more involved in the development of their communities. The Government believes that parish and town councils have a central role. Parish and town councils are the democratic bodies with the closest direct links to their communities. The Government expects principal local authorities and parish and town councils to work together to provide an effective local government for local people.

3.2. The White Paper proposed a number of initiatives designed to enhance the role of parish and town councils, to develop a framework for partnership working, and to equip parish and town councils to take on a stronger role for the benefit of the local community. A central proposal was the introduction of the concept of a Quality Parish Council. Quality status will equip parish councils to take on a stronger role in their communities and should be achievable by any parish council, regardless of its size, location or current activities.

3.3. Through this scheme the Government wants to encourage all parish councils to reach the standards of the best and, in doing so, to demonstrate their status as the local representatives of their communities. This should help them to work more closely with partners in the delivery of local services.

3.4. Achieving quality parish status demonstrates that a council has met certain minimum standards expected from an effective, representative and active parish council. The scheme is voluntary and is open to all parish councils in England and it is hoped that a large proportion of parish councils will apply for accreditation.

3.5. Tests to achieve accreditation and be awarded Quality status cover:

_ electoral mandate

_ qualifications of the clerk

_ properly run, regular council meetings

_ effective communication with the community

_ publication of annual report and properly prepared accounts

_ code of conduct for members.

3.6. County associations, like HAPTC, are responsible for establishing accreditation panels to assess and evaluate applications by parish councils for Quality status. Councillor Woodhall is a member of the Hampshire accreditation panel. The first parish council in Hampshire to be granted Quality status was Headley in East Hampshire followed more recently by Hamble-le-Rice Parish Council and Petersfield Town Council. Other applications are in preparation and HAPTC anticipate that 20 to 30 councils in Hampshire may achieve Quality status.

3.7. The Cabinet is recommended to recognise and applaud these parish councils on achieving Quality status and to express support for the initiative whereby other parish and town councils can secure the same recognition of their competence and capability for enhanced partnership working for the benefit of the community they serve.

3.8. The Executive Member for Policy and Resources has approved a grant of £6000 to HAPTC to fund the cost of a consultant to work with up to 20 parish and town councils during 2004/05 to help them develop successful bids for quality parish status.

3.9. Whilst encouraging parish and town councils to seek Quality status, paragraph 4.2 of the draft revised Parish Charter states the important principle that the County Council would wish to continue to work in partnership with any parish and town council, whether with or without Quality status, to develop arrangements reflecting that community's aspirations and capabilities.

4. A revised Parish Charter

4.1. The Government's guidance `The Quality Parish and Town Council Scheme Explained,' published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in June 2003, also includes a model form of charter intended to set out agreement between principal authorities (county, district and unitary authorities) and the parish and town councils in their area about arrangements for working together.

4.2. The attached revised Parish Charter applies the ideas and principles included in the model charter to local circumstance. It has:

_ to set out the principles for County Council and parish councils to work together

_ to define those matters on which the County Council will consult with individual parish councils

_ to establish the framework for enhanced partnership working with Quality councils.

4.3. The draft has been prepared in discussion with officers of the County Council in regular contact with parish and town councils and with HAPTC. It is recommended that the Cabinet agrees that the attached draft sets out principles to guide partnership working between County Council and individual parish and town councils and that its scope includes matters the Cabinet would expect covered by a Parish Charter.

4.4. Parish and town councils may then be invited to agree the revised Charter, through their county association. Any comments on the detail of drafting and layout would then be considered between my Department and the Director of HAPTC to produce a final version for formal agreement, on the County Council's side, by the Leader.

Recommendation

The following decisions are sought:

· That the County Council expresses support for a process whereby town and parish councils may be accredited as Quality councils and congratulates Headley and Hamble-le-Rice Parish Councils and Petersfield Town Council on achieving Quality status.

· That the attached revised Parish Charter be agreed for the purpose of consultation with Hampshire's town and parish councils through their county association, and that the Leader be authorised to agree drafting changes consequent on that consultation and to give the County Council's formal acceptance and agreement to a revised Parish Charter.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

File Location

Correspondence Chief Executive's Department