Hambleton Parish Council – Hambleton Parish Council

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Hambleton Parish Council meets in Hambleton Village Hall on the second Thursday of every month, starting at 7.00pm. Notices of meetings are put on the parish website and noticeboards three working days before the meeting date. Members of the public & press are welcome to attend any meetings.

All meetings have a dedicated agenda item at the beginning to hear and respond to questions from local residents. If a member of the public has specific questions to pose to the Parish Council however, it would be appreciated if you make contact beforehand with the question so there is time to research a constructive answer if required. Any written documents to submit to the Parish Council should be presented at least three working days before the meeting date to ensure the Parish Councillors have adequate time to read, understand and prepare for the discussion.

We aim to finish all meetings within 2 hours, and ask any members of the public to keep contributions short and concise. Please see our Attendee Code of Conduct for more information.

How We Work

Parish councils make all kinds of decisions on issues that affect the local community. Probably the most common topics that parish councils get involved with are planning matters (they are statutory consultees), crime prevention, managing open spaces and campaigning for and delivering better services and facilities.

It’s true to say that on their own, parish councils have limited powers to make decisions. But they do have the ability to negotiate with, and the power to influence, those other organisations that do make the final decisions (such as the borough council, health authorities, police etc).

In this respect parish councils are extremely powerful. The organisations that make the final decisions know that a parish council gives the best reflection of how a community feels about something, and its views will be taken seriously.

What powers do parish councils have?

They have a wide range of powers which essentially related to local matters, such as looking after community buildings, open space, allotments, play areas, street lighting, bus shelters, car parks and much more. The council also has the power to raise money through taxation, the precept. The precept is the parish council’s share of the council tax. The precept demand goes to the billing authority, the district council, which collects the tax for the parish council.

Parish Duties

The duties and functions of a parish council are many and varied. The Parish Council meets monthly and considers planning applications and any other matters referred to it by local residents, Selby District Council and by central government. All meetings are open to the public and there is a forum before the start of the meeting at which members of the public can raise concerns and ask questions. There is also an annual meeting which all parishioners are invited to attend. All meetings are advertised on the council notice boards. Residents can bring to the attention of the parish council anything that concerns them, either directly or though the clerk. If matters raised are not the responsibility of the council, the clerk can bring them to the attention of the proper authority.