Denton Parish Council
Council Vacancy
Following the resignation of Liz Cargill a vacancy exists on the Parish Council. Further information appears on a Separate Page.
Denton has a parish council of seven members elected all together every four years. Casual vacancies are normally filled by co-option. Parish councillors serve on a voluntary basis but the council employs a part-time clerk to provide administrative support.
There should have been an election on May 5th last year, but there were only six nominations for the seven places. The seventh place was filled by cooption at the first meeting of the new council The next elections will be in May 2015.
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.
How the Council pays its way
Each year the Council funds its activities by precepting a sum of money, £3,300 for the 2012/13 financial year, from the district council. It is collected as part of all parish households' council tax. For the coming year, this equates to £21.42 for a typical, Band D, property (an increase of 85p over last year). This is added to £1,145.07 for the County Council, £196.92 for the Police Authority and £130.68 for the District Council to make a total payment of £1,494.09. This compared with £1,487.75 for 2011/12. The average town or parish council share of the council tax for a Band D property across the whole of South Norfolk is £60.44.
In common with many other authorities, for 2012/13 the Parish Council intended to freeze its share of the council tax. It thus raised the precept only very slightly on the basis thay some new properties would now be paying tax, and the rate of council tax will stay the same. Unfortunately this does not seem to have worked out quite as expected. Further information on the Council Tax system and details of the current year's budget appear on the PC Finance Page.
Who is on the Parish Council?
NB. Eddie Winter, after 35 years of excellent service, did not seek re-election last year. All the other six retiring councillors were returned unopposed and Wayne Mayhew was co-opted at the Council's AGM. Now Liz Cargill has stepped down and a replacement is required (See above).
- Mr Peter Hill (Chairman) – Tel: 01986 788619
- Mr Terry Hanner (Vice Chairman) – Tel: 01986 788414
- Mr Roger Gibson – Tel: 01986 788502
- Mr Adrian Hipwell – Tel: 01986 788188
- Mr Wwayne Mayhew – Tel: 01986 788675
- Mrs Annie Whiteman – Tel: 01986 788251
- Vacancy
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: 10th April.
Next meetings, the Annual Meeting followed by the normal monthly meeting: 8th May.
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. – 8th May, following the Annual Meeting.Draft minutes of the previous meeting. – 10th April.
Agenda for the Annual Meeting – 8th May.
Draft minutes of the previous AGM. – 12th April 2010.
Minutes Archive
The minutes of previous meetings are also available.
Parish Meetings
The Council also organises an Annual Parish Meeting each year, normally in April, where the Parish Council report back on their activities during the year and any items of general interest can be discussed.
The 2012 Parish Meeting was held on Friday 20th April starting at 7.30 p.m. Topics included:
- a) Whether a "Neighbourhood Plan" should be developed for the parish.
- a) Local Telecoms Issues.
- c) Further developments at the Playground.
The full Agenda for the Meeting is available.
Draft minutes of the previous Annual Parish Meeting.
Joint Meetings
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 at Wortwell Community Centre on Monday, 14th May, at 7.30 pm when the guest speaker will be Mr Mike Bentley from South Norfolk Council. He will be speaking about the Localism Act, Neighbourhood Boards and Neighbourhood Funds.
Council Finance
Details of the Council's finances, budgets and accounts, are available on the PC Finance Page.
Allotments
One power that parish councils do possess is the provision of allotments for local residents. DPC recently decided to make some plots, four initially, available on the old allotment land between the playing field and Rogerson's Wood. So far three have been allocated leaving one plot available.
Parishoners interested in renting a plot should contact the Chairman or Clerk.
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.