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Ewyas Harold Group Parish Council
HEREFORDSHIRE
The Clerk
Andy Shipp Tel: 01873 890974
Berry Bach, Llanvihangel Crucorney, Abergavenny, NP7 8EG
What is the Group Parish Council and what does it do?
Ewyas Harold Group Parish Council (GPC) is a non-political, elected body of thirteen councillors representing the parishes of Ewyas Harold, Rowlstone, Dulas, and Llancillo. We form the third tier of Local Government. No Councillor has the right to act individually; the authority of the GPC comes from the body as a whole. A Parish Council has the same status as a Town Council, and both are sometimes known as "Local Councils". We are responsible for a wide range of local issues including Rights of Way, Planning Consent, management of the Recreation Ground and road maintenance.
In 2007 we successfully raised over £70,000 to build a new Playground on the Recreation Ground and we are involved in starting projects such as the Community First Responders, (a volunteer branch of the Ambulance Service) and supporting the Computer Access Project (CAP) . We are Custodial Trustees of the Memorial Hall and Lessor's of Rowlestone Village Hall.
The GPC welcomes new blood! If you would like to help the community by becoming a Councillor please contact the Clerk. You will be given a warm welcome at any of our meetings - the first Tuesday of the month - and this is the best place to find out more about what it means to be a Councillor. It's a responsible position, but immensely rewarding. If you want to "make a difference" locally, this is the place to start.
What a councillor does
As councillors, we represent the residents and electors of the parish. We meet in public once a month and our decisions are made public in Minutes which can be found on the GPC Notice board, in the Post Office and on this website.
Your local Councillors are individually available to anyone in the parish for consultation on any matter of local concern. It is our duty to strive to represent not ourselves, but the public interest. A Code of Conduct applies to all councillors. When we take office we declare any interests we may have in local businesses or property. A Register of Interests is kept on file at Brockington and it is available for public inspection.
Meetings
The public and press is welcome to attend our monthly meeting, which is generally held on the first Tuesday of the month at 7.30pm in the Memorial Hall. The Agenda and confirmation of the meeting and venue can be found on the village Notice Board as well as on this website. Members of the public may speak by invitation only at this meeting. Any member of the public wishing to speak should notify the Clerk in advance of the meeting.
The Clerk
The Clerk is the Responsible Officer of the Council in law and he has a number of specific duties and responsibilities. His job includes executing the resolutions of the Council and advising on points of Law and procedure. Our Clerk is also our Responsible Financial Officer. If you wish to draw the whole GPC's attention to any matter please write to the clerk. This letter will be read in full at the next meeting.
The Precept
We raise the funds to carry out our duties by means of a local tax called the Precept. This is a relatively small sum which is collected by Herefordshire Council at the same time as your Council Taxes. The GPC strives to keep the Precept as low as possible in line with the needs of the community.
This website
On this website we will publish our Agenda and Minutes which will tell you what we have done and what we plan to do. We will try to make our activities on your behalf more open. We will encourage people with skills and some spare time to stand for Council at the next Parish Election. We will encourage more people to attend our monthly Parish Council meetings. We would like to draw your attention to the work this GPC and villagers have done in creating an inspiring Design Statement. We are currently working on a Parish Plan and we would appreciate your thoughtful input on this project.
This page has been written by Liz Overstall