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Parish Office
The Parish Office is open to visitors on Tuesday and Fridays only 9.00am-12.30pm. As the office is very small we would be grateful if you would observe the following:
One person at a time in the office
Westminster Field - Gate Closing Time (1st April - 30 September )
Please note that the car park gate is locked every evening at 7pm and re-opened again at 7am the following morning.
1st - 31st October the gate will be locked at 6pm
01 April - 30 September the gate will be locked at 7pm
01 November - 31 March the gate will be locked at 5pm
The temporary overflow grass car park area will be open at the weekends and monitored at other busy times.
Westminster Field and the Heathside Toilets
The disabled toilet locks have been changed so that anyone can use them. Due to vandalism, the toilet at the Heathside is currently out of use.
Toilets are open every day between 1st April and 30th September, weekends only 01 October to 31 March and are cleaned daily when open.
What does the Parish Council do?
Horton Kirby and South Darenth Parish Council is made up of 9 Councillors who live locally. They are voted into their posts by the electorate of the Parish, or co-opted, to form a Council which endeavours to make decisions in the interests of the local community. Councillors are not paid but volunteer their time to serve our villages. Parish Council meetings are open to the public and the ‘minutes’ which record the business and decisions can be found on the Council’s website. You can also read them in the Parish Office.
The Parish Council receives a ‘Precept’ (a calculation of money) from Sevenoaks District Council which SDC collects as part of your Council Tax. With this money the Parish Council pays for many of the facilities that we enjoy as a community and for which it has responsibility.
The Parish Council owns and maintains the following land and buildings:
- The Village Hall & Jubilee Hall
- Heathside
- Westminster Field including the Pavilion
- Public Toilets
- Hundred Year Wood
- Burial Ground
- Garden of Remembrance
- Paper Mill Green
- Shrubbery Road green space
- Top and Bottom Paddock
- Glebe Place green space
- Allotments
- 97 Streetlights
- Dog bins
Adopted areas of responsibility include several KCC owned verges. Some pathways are maintained by the Parish Council but the majority are either looked after by Kent County Council or private landowners.
97 streetlights (and their running costs) fall under the Parish Council’s care across the Parish with others being maintained by KCC or local management groups.
All this responsibility does mean that the Council is kept busy ensuring their administration is executed properly and within budget whilst keeping up to date with changes and plans from District and County statutory bodies such as Sevenoaks District Council, Kent County Council and Kent Police.
You are always welcome to attend meetings, visit or call the Parish Office or get in touch with your local Councillors with ideas, concerns or information that you feel is important. You can find on this website and on the village noticeboards Agendas for meetings. Dates for upcoming meetings and Agendas can also be found on the website.
