A Parish Council is a corporate body with a legal existence separate from that of its individual members. No one Parish Councillor may act as the Parish Council.

A Parish Council is a tier of local government and is strictly controlled by various regulations and policies.

Parish Council business must be dealt with within official meetings, the agenda for which has been publicly advertised and which is attended by ‘The Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer’ who minutes the discussions, debates and decisions.

These meeting are open to the public.

A Parish Council is accountable and responsible for its actions and decisions.

Parish Council finance is derived from the precept which is its share of the council tax collected by the district council. Much of the precept is spent on administration – Parish Clerk’s salary, audit fees, insurances, subscriptions etc.

Parish Council’s such as Hartlip are small in terms of population and precept.

The Parish Clerk and Responsible Finance Officer is the council’s Proper Officer and is able to and responsible for providing both professional advice concerning the laws of governance and administrative support.

A Parish Council has duties which it must take by law and a small Parish Council such as Hartlip is responsible for such things as:

• Allotments
• Planning: a Parish Council is a consultee and so must be notified of any planning applications for the area. Comments submitted by a Parish Council must be taken into account by the planning authority.
• War Memorials

Hartlip Parish Council is responsible for the maintenance and management of The Recreation Ground/children’s play area, Munns Lane.

This was bequeathed to the Parish of Hartlip by Herbert Hales. It is not a municipal facility.

It has been used for fetes, Hartlip Football Club and Hartlip Cricket Club over the years.

Hartlip Parish Council also maintains and manages The Parkland, Lower Hartlip. This is a beautiful and tranquil green space owned by the Parish and intended for the benefit of present parish residents and future generations.

Hartlip Parish Council is also responsible for the Village Pond.

This was the Old Wheelwash in times past. It is situated on The Street, opposite the Methodist Chapel. Its practical function today is as a soakaway to prevent the adjacent road from flooding and KCC require to have the right to allow surplus water from the road to drain into the pond.

In the case of Hartlip, the Parish Council is not financially responsible for matters concerning the Church.

• St Michael’s Churchyard is a ‘closed churchyard’, and, upon its closure, Hartlip Parish Council took the decision to pass responsibility for the maintenance of the churchyard to Swale Borough Council.

Swale Borough Council is therefore responsible for the maintenance of the churchyard and works in consultation with the Parochial Church Council (PCC) of the Church.

• The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is responsible for the church building and operation.
• The Local Government Act 1894 Section 8 prohibits Parish Council’s from providing financial assistance to churches and political parties. Hartlip Parish Council is therefore bound by law in this regard.