Get Involved

Your Village, Your Voice – Get Involved in Local Democracy

 

Residents can get involved in Lenham Parish Council in a range of practical and meaningful ways, depending on how active you would like to be.

1. Attend Parish Council meetings

Lenham Parish Councils hold regular public meetings, (full council once a month and two committee meetings every month). Residents can:

• Listen to discussions
• Raise concerns during the public participation section
• See decisions being made

Meeting dates and agendas are published on the Parish Council’s website and noticeboards.

2. Stand as a Parish Councillor

If you want a more direct role, you can stand for election as a councillor:

• Elections usually happen every 4 years (with occasional by-elections)
• You must be nominated and live or work in the area (or nearby, depending on eligibility rules)
• Councillors help make decisions on planning, local services, budgets, and community priorities

3. Join committees or working groups

Lenham Parish Council has smaller groups focusing on:

• Tourism
• Events and community projects

These often include councillors and sometimes co-opted residents.

4. Volunteering

Lenham Parish Council relies on volunteers for:

• Litter picks and environmental projects
• Community events
• Village planters and watering

5. Respond to consultations

Residents can influence decisions by:

• Completing surveys
• Responding to planning consultations
• Giving feedback on local proposals

6. Contact your Parish Council directly

You can always:

• Email or write to raise issues
• Request items be added to agendas
• Ask questions about local services or responsibilities

Your views help shape the decisions we make and the services we deliver.

Parish Council Services

The Parish Council is responsible for delivering a number of local services and is responsible for the following areas:

• Ham Lane Play Park
• Cherry Close Play Park
• William Pitt Field
• Lenham Cemetery - please see separate page
• Public WCs on Maidstone Road
• Maidstone Road car park
• Allotments site - the allocation and management of the allotments is the responsibility of the Ham Lane Allotment Association
• Cherry Downs Picnic site on Rayners Hill
• The Lock up, Faversham Road
• Parish Office at 1A High Street, Lenham
• St Mary's Churchyard
• Royton Avenue Green Space
• Ham Lane to Maidstone Road footpath

 

Planning matters and current building activity

The parish council continues to receive many comments about issues linked to some of the building work that is happening.

While the parish council is a consultee during the application process for any building, whether this is by individual householders or development companies, once the proposal is approved by the Planning Authority at Maidstone the responsibility for ensuring the works take place as set out in the approved development plan rest with Maidstone Borough Council.

This role is handled by the Planning Enforcement Team, they can be emailed on: PlanningEnforcement@maidstone.gov.uk or by ‘phone on­ 01622 602809. Any observations or queries relating to developments should be directed to this team as the parish council is not in a position to "enforce" anything once the approved plan is underway.

We do keep all of the activity on active sites under review and make representations ourselves if we feel that something is not proceeding according to the agreed plan.