Denton Parish Council

Denton has a parish council of seven members elected all together every four years. Casual vacancies are normally filled by co-option. The next elections are due in May 2011. Parish councillors serve on a voluntary basis but the council employs a part-time clerk to provide administrative support.

Each year the Council funds its activities by precepting a sum of money, £3,231 for 2010/11 (compared with £2,956 for 2009/10), from the district council. It is collected as part of all parish households' council tax. For 2010/11 this equates to £20.84 for a typical, Band D, property compared with £1,145.07 for the County Council, £191.16 for the Police Authority and £130.68 for the District Council out of a total payment of £1,487.75. This compares with £1,459.19 in 2009/10, an increase of 1.96%. The average town or parish council share of the council tax for a Band D property across the whole of South Norfolk is £59.25.

Parish councils have a limited range of powers but they do have a vital role to play in representing the views and interests of the local community. They have a statutory right to be consulted by other bodies, notably the county and district councils, on issues affecting the village. In particular they are consulted on all planning applications that affect the parish and have speaking rights at planning committee meetings.

The Council sponsors this website and publishes a Village Directory which is delivered to every home.

Who is on the parish council?

Clerk - Mrs P. Sandell

Address:

Woodbine Farm, Hoxne Road, Weybread, Diss, Norfolk, IP21 5UJ.

Tel: 01379 854454

e-mail: pauline@pineheath.fsnet.co.uk

The council is a member of the Norfolk Association of Local Councils.

When are meetings held?

Parish council meetings are normally held once a month in Denton Village Hall on the second Tuesday of each month (apart from August and December).
Most recent ordinary meeting: 8th June.

Members of the public are always welcome to attend. There is an item on the agenda - Questions from members of the public, which gives residents the opportunity to bring any relevant issues to the attention of councillors.

The agenda is displayed on the village noticeboard opposite the village hall and will also be available here when it is published.

Agenda for the next meeting. – 13th July.

Draft minutes of the previous ordinary meeting. – 8th June.

Draft minutes of the special meeting held on 18th June. – 8th June.

The minutes of earlier meetings are also available.

The Council also organises an annual Parish Meeting each year, normally in April (but for 2010 in March), where all the organisations in the village are invited to report on their activities and items of general interest can be discussed.

The 2010 Parish Meeting was held on Tuesday 16th March. The Agenda for the meeting included the Community Ambition Award which generated considerable interest amongst the 30 attendees. It was eventually agreed not to make a bid under the scheme but a number of smaller local projects would be further developed.

Occasionally, joint meetings are held for the five parish councils that make up the Earsham district council ward – Alburgh, Earsham, Topcroft and Wortwell as well Denton. Guest speakers are invited and issues of common concern discussed. These meetings are open to the public. The next one will be held in Denton on Friday, 21st May, when the guest speaker will be from the CPRE.

Access to Information

Under the Public Information Act the Council is required to publish details of what information it holds and how the public can gain access to it. This is provided on the next page.