About The Council
Parish Councils are the first tier of local government and the closest to the community they serve. They are elected bodies with discretionary powers and rights to represent their communities and provide services for them. The number of councillors is fixed by the local District or Borough Council.
Local councils are represented nationally by the National Association of Local Councils which has a network of county branches. The Association offers extensive training and support for Local Councils and their Clerks through county based Training Partnerships.
By law there are certain obligations which a local council must fulfil. For example:
- It must hold an annual meeting
- It must hold at least three other meetings a year
- It must appoint such officers as it believes necessary for the proper discharge of its functions (this may be a Councillor unpaid, but in common practice is a Clerk and/or Treasurer)
- It must make Standing Orders
Holmes Chapel has 12 Parish Councillors each of whom is elected for a term of four years by the electors of the parish. A statutory annual meeting is held in May at which the Chairman and Vice Chairman of Council are elected by the Council members prior to the start of the civic year which runs from May to April.
Holmes Chapel Parish Council supplements local government services provided by Congleton Borough Council and in addition promotes and represents the village with other national and statutory bodies.
For example, the Parish Council acts as a consultee and lobbying force putting forward the wishes and needs of the local community to both regional government in the form of Cheshire County Council and national government via its Member of Parliament.
Local Councils act as a sounding board for local opinion and have important rights of consultation. County and District Councils are obliged by law to consult the Local Council on certain matters affecting the parish.
Cheshire County Council consult with the Parish Council on such subjects as the County Structure Plan, the Local Transport Plan etc.
Congleton Borough Council consults with the Parish Council on such matters as the district-wide Local Plan, planning applications within Holmes Chapel and the economic development strategy.