Wickhambrook Parish Council
Parish Council Meetings are open to the public so why not come along? We hope that you will find it interesting and we would like to increase our community engagement. This helps to ensure that the decisions that are reached have the support of local residents. You never know, you may wish to get more involved – there are lots of ways to contribute, from attending meetings and asking questions, to joining in with volunteer events, becoming a lay member on our Estates Committee, or becoming a Councillor!
The Parish Clerk (Hilary Workman) is employed by the Parish Council to undertake the Council’s administration.
Wickhambrook is allocated 8 Parish Councillors who are elected for a period of four years or co-opted to fill vacancies as necessary. The most recent Parish and District Elections took place on 4th May 2023. Cllr Sarah Pugh was re-elected as our District Councillor to West Suffolk Council, and four of our Councillors stood and were returned uncontested:
Cllr Paul Couzens
Cllr Mike Lavelle
Cllr Sandy Thwaite and
Cllr Tracey Turner
At our September meeting we were pleased to co-opt Cllr Mel Karunaratne. At our February ’24 meeting we were pleased to co-opt Cllrs Andrea Grimes and Linda Smith, and then in April, Cllr Kevin Grimes.
This means that we have three vacancies which need to be filled for the parish council. Because the vacancies were previously notified, there is no need for a further period of notice, and the parish council may move to co-opt. We would like to fill these vacancies as soon as possible. If you care about the area that you live or work in and the issues facing local people, you could become a councillor.
Local (town and parish) councils are led by democratically elected councillors from the local community. Local councillors decide on what services and projects the council will deliver. As representatives of the first tier of local government and the closest to their communities, local councillors are best placed to engage with their residents and find out what the real local issues are and how to overcome them. To find out more about local councils, take a look at All about Local Councils. For some examples of what local Councils do, take a look at Points of Light 2019
What else do you need to know?
Most people are qualified to stand for their local council but there are a few rules. You have to be:
- A British citizen, or a citizen of the Commonwealth, or the European Union
- 18 years of age or older
- Live in an area that is served by a local council
You cannot stand for election if you:
- Are the subject of a bankruptcy restriction order or interim order
- Have within five years before the day of the election, been convicted in the United Kingdom of any offence and have had a prison sentence (whether suspended or not) for a period of over three months without the option of a fine
- Work for the council you want to become a councillor for.
You can refer to the website of the Electoral Commission for full details.
If you would like to find out more, please do call the parish clerk or one of our councillors. If you would like to be considered as a councillor, please take a look at the procedure and role spec, and complete and return a co-option application and eligibility form to Hilary
To find out more about the work of Wickhambrook Parish Council, take a look at the Chairman’s report from the 2023 Annual Parish Meeting, and the clerk’s financial report.
For information about our upcoming meetings and events, click on this link
Latest Parish Council news …
A Note from your Clerk – work taking place in play areas on Saturday 31st August
On Saturday we’ll be having a team in to make some repairs to the Children’s play areas at Cemetery and Bury Road…
A note from your clerk – Diversion Order for Footpath 10
West Suffolk Council have made a Public Path Diversion Order for part of Footpath No 10…
A Note from your clerk: Consultation on Specification for 2025/26 Grounds Contract
It seems a long way away, but the parish council has already been looking at the specification for its grounds contract for 2025/26…
About the Parish Council
The Parish Council is responsible for the upkeep of Parish Council property. This includes the Cemetery Chapel, the Children’s Playground, the lower part of the Recreation Ground, known locally as ‘The Six Acres’, and the new ‘Teen Project’ skate park and games facility. Also for the cutting of the grass and trimming of the hedges of the village greens, the Cemetery and the All Saints Churchyard. In addition the Parish Council takes responsibility for the grass cutting and hedging of the whole of the Recreation Ground and the areas around the Memorial Social Centre and the WI Hall. The Parish Council is also consulted on various Borough and County Council policies as well as planning applications.
Responsibility for the day-to-day maintenance of the Parish Council’s property is delegated to an Estates Committee. This committee is comprised of four Parish Councillors and four non-voting lay members.
The cost of meeting the Parish Council’s responsibilities, as well as other administrative costs, is met by the Parish Precept, a local portion of Council Tax, plus grants from the Borough Council. The Parish Council is responsible for setting the annual Precept based on a budget for the forthcoming financial year.
The Parish Council meets monthly, the Estates Committee meets every second month (i.e. not monthly) and a notice of each meeting is posted on the Parish Notice Board at Thorns Corner. All meetings are open to the public who are invited to speak on issues of concern. The Parish Council acts as one body, decisions being made by majority vote. Minutes of meetings, once they have been confirmed as a true record, are posted on the Parish Notice Board. The local Borough and County Councillors attend most full Parish Council meetings and the Community SNT Officer attends when duties allow.
The Chairperson of the Parish Council is elected at the Annual Parish Council Meeting, which is normally held in May. At this meeting representatives to other village organisations, such as the Memorial Social Centre Committee and the United Charities, and to outside organisations are made.
An Annual Parish Meeting has to be held between 1st April and 31st May each year. This is not a Parish Council meeting, although the chair must be taken by the Chairperson of the Parish Council if present, it is an assembly for all members of the parish to express their views and concerns.