The Council

THE  COUNCIL

Town and Parish Councils, established in 1894, form the first tier of local government in England and are the closest to the communities they represent.  They are elected bodies with discretionary powers and rights, all of which impact on the local community.  These discretionary powers allow local councils to provide and maintain a variety of important local services including allotments, bridleways, burial grounds, bus shelters, open spaces, community safety and crime reduction measures, events and festivals, footpaths, litter bins, dog bins, planning, street lighting, traffic calming measures, war memorials.

As a statutory consultee, Parish Councils must be notified by the Local Planning Authority of any planning applications for the area. Any comments submitted by the Parish Council to the local planning authority must be taken into account by the planning case officer when determining the application.

A parish council’s written rules are its Standing Orders which regulate its procedures, i.e. the way its meetings take place, and its affairs are managed. Unless a parish council delegates its functions to its committees and officers, decisions for the discharge of its functions can only be made at council meetings.

Council members are either elected at local elections or appointed by the council, after any vacancies have been advertised within the Parish (i.e. co-opted). All Buckland Parish Councillors are required to comply with the Council’s Code of Conduct.

Freedom Of Information

The Freedom of Information Act gives the public the right to ask any public sector organisation for all the recorded information it has on any subject.  Anyone can make a request for information – there are no restrictions on your age, nationality or where you live.  You can contact the Parish Council directly by letter or email to make the freedom of information (FOI) request.  When making your request, you should include:

• Your name;
• An address where you can be contacted;
• A detailed description of the recorded information required

Making the request is free but payment may be required for any phototcopies or postage costs incurred by the Council.

Making a Complaint

Buckland Parish Council recognises that from time to time there will be concerns expressed by members of the public over the activities of the Council, one of its councillors or employees. 

Buckland Parish Council and GDPR

Buckland Parish Council only collects basic data which can include name, address, email and phone number.  We do not collect any personal data we do not need.

We have a Data Protection regime in place to oversee the effective and secure processing of your personal data.

Please see the Policies section for further information on the above.