What is a Parish Council?

A Parish Council is a small civil authority and the first level of local government.   It is community based, so the most accessible tier of local government.

Fiskerton-cum-Morton Parish Council has 7 councillors, all of whom live or work within the Parish and who are elected for four years. Any councillor can be contacted easily, as can the Parish Clerk.  During the Coronavirus outbreak March 2020 with effect from April 2020 Parish Council meetings will be held virtually as conference calls rather than face to face.

A primary concern of the Parish Council is to ensure that the views of the community are taken into account by the authorities, agencies and organisations  (such as the District Council, the County Council, health authorities, police etc) that take decisions on services and issues affecting the Parish.
Probably the most common topics that the parish council gets involved with are planning matters, crime prevention, managing open spaces, footpaths and campaigning for and delivering better services and facilities.
 
The Parish Council responds to and adds comments on structure plans and government consultation documents.  It also votes on all planning applications in the Parish, though Newark & Sherwood District Council makes the final decision.

The Parish Council is responsible for various assets within the villages. These include:
·       Fiskerton Village Green
·       The Children’s Playground at the Arthur Radford Sports Field
·       Morton Telephone Box & Defibrillator

Parish Councils do not receive government grants, so the Council raises its income from a precept, which forms part of the Council Tax Bill.