Stillington & Whitton

Stillington & Whitton Parish Council

Please contact the Parish Clerk if you have any issues to raise or if you would like details about how to join the meeting.

Parish Councillors 

                            Judith Turner       John Corbey       John Clark          Lisa Wetherill      Janet Spink        Mary Smith                                                          

Parish Council Meetings are normally held on the First Tuesday of the Month (except August)at 7 pm. in Stillington Village Hall, Lowson Street, Stillington.                    

Annual General Meetings are held before the May meeting as above.
   
Members of the public are welcome to attend meetings and can address the Council between 7.00 and 7.15pm. 

   Roles & Responsibilities of the Parish Council - May 2010

A Parish Council is the first level of local government. Members of a Parish Council are people who live or work in the parish and are elected for a 4 year term. They are the voice of the community and seek to enhance the quality of living locally.
The Parish Council raises an annual precept which helps to pay for any projects it undertakes in the parish.
This section has been produced to help explain the differing roles and responsibilities of the various local authorities.       

Listed are the roles and the responsibilities that the Parish Council are allowed to undertake.
Some of these are shared with Stockton Borough Council who also have some sole responsibilities - these are described as well, although The Parish Council has no powers in these areas, it can make representations to the relevant local authorities about issues affecting the parish and can provide information regarding relevant contacts.
Everything a Parish Council does is provided for by legislation but is also subject to the provision of general law.

Some powers give the Parish Council an enabling role.

Parish Councils have the following powers:

1. · General Expenditure: Power to spend a maximum of £5.30 per head of electors’ register on any purpose not otherwise covered where that expenditure    is of direct benefit to the area or the parishioners, provided no legislation exists whereby such expenditure is illegal
2. · Allotments (provision and maintenance).
3. · Arts (arts and crafts development and improvement of knowledge.)
4. · Baths, Wash-houses, swimming pools and launderettes can be provided.
5. · Borrowing (for a maximum of 25 years after receiving loan sanction consent via NALC)
6. · Burial grounds (provision and maintenance and provision of crematoria, mortuaries and post mortem rooms).
7. · Bylaws for playing areas and village greens.
8. · Churchyards (power to contribute to the cost of maintenance of of churchyards in use, and a duty to maintain any closed churchyards where that           duty has been transferred through Order in Council)
9. · Clocks (provision and maintenance of public clocks).
10. · Commons (power to protect where no registered owner known).
11. · Entertainments (provision of any form of public entertainment).
12. · Halls (provision for public meetings, functions, sports, indoor recreation and clubs).
13. · Lighting (provision and maintenance of any footway lighting).
14. · Litter (provision of litter-bins and support for anti-litter campaigns).
15. · Open Spaces, Parks and Playing Fields (provision and maintenance of open spaces and walks).
16. · Parking places (provision and maintenance of cycle and car parks
17. · Planning (receive notification of applications in the parish and make suitable comments).
18. · Ponds (powers to deal with contaminated ponds and pools )
19. · Post and telephone (power to indemnify postal and/or telephone authorities against loss).
20. · Public lavatories (provision and maintenance).
21. · Rights of Way (maintenance).
22. · Roadside verges (power to plant and maintain).
23. · Seats (provision and maintenance on the public highway).
24. · Shelters (provision and maintenance for public use).
25. · Signs (power to erect warning signs).
26. · Tourism (provision of facilities for conferences, and to encourage recreation and business).
27. · Traffic calming (contributions towards highway authority costs)
28. · Transport (car sharing, community ‘bus services transport information).
29. · Village and town greens (maintenance)