Stokenham Parish Council
met for the first time in 1894 and since that time has worked for the
benefit of the community. It meets regularly on the FIRST & THIRD
THURSDAY in each MONTH except the month of August.
Each year before the Annual General Meeting of the Parish Council held in
May it holds an
ANNUAL
PARISH MEETING
where all the organisations in the parish can address the council, and
their members present an account of the work of their respective
organisations. This is a very important meeting for
the public in general and members of the council in particular in as much as
the council hears at first hand accounts of activities within in the parish.
It also gives the council an over view of the parish which helps in forward
planning of future activities.
To give some idea of the PRINCIPAL POWERS AND DUTIES of
PARISH COUNCILS which the council can be involved in, the following is
a summary of the Local Government Act 1972.
FUNCTIONS |
POWERS AND DUTIES
|
| Allotments |
Power to provide allotments. Duty
to provide allotment gardens if demand unsatisfied. |
| Baths and washhouses |
Power to provide public baths,
washhouses and bathing places. |
Burial grounds,
cemeteries and crematoria |
Power to provide. |
| Bus shelters |
Power to provide and maintain
shelters. |
| By-laws |
Power to make by-laws in regard to
pleasure grounds, cycle parks, baths and washhouses, open spaces, mortuaries
and mortem rooms, etc.
|
| Charities |
Duty to receive accounts of
parochial charities. |
| Clocks |
Power to provide public clocks. |
| Closed Churchyards |
Power as to maintenance. |
| Commons and common pastures |
Powers in relation to enclosure
and as to regulation and management. |
| Conference facilities |
Power to provide and encourage the
use of facilities. |
| Community centres |
Power to provide and equip
buildings for use of clubs having athletic, social or educational objects. |
| Drainage |
Power to deal with ponds and
ditches. |
| Litter |
Provision of receptacles. |
| Lotteries |
Power to promote. |
| Mortuaries and post-mortem rooms |
Power to provide mortuaries and
post-mortem rooms. |
| Nuisances |
Power to deal with offensive
ditches. |
| Open spaces |
Power to acquire land. |
| Parish property and documents |
Management and custody. |
| Postal and Telecommunications
facilities. |
Power to pay the Post Office,
British Telecommunications or any other public telecommunications operator
any loss sustained in providing additional post or telegraph office or
telecommunications facilities |
| Public buildings and village halls |
Power to provide buildings for
offices and for public meetings and assemblies. |
| Public conveniences |
Power to provide. |
| Recreation |
Power to acquire land for
recreation grounds, public walks and open spaces and to manage and control
them. Power to provide gymnasiums, playing fields, holiday camps.
Provision of boating pools. |
| Town and Country Planning |
Rights to be notified of planning
applications. |
| Tourism |
Power to encourage. |
| Village greens |
Power to provide. |
| War memorials |
Power to maintain, repair, protect
and adapt war memorials. |
| Water supply |
Power to utilise well, spring or
stream and to provide facilities for obtaining there from. |
| Entertainment and the arts |
Provision of entertainment and the
support of the arts. |
| Gifts |
Power to accept. |
| Highways
|
Power to repair and
maintain footpaths and bridleways. Power to light roads and public places.
Power to erect flagpoles and other structures for displaying decorations.
Provision of litter bins.
Power to provide parking places for bicycles, motorcycles and other
vehicles.
Power to acquire rights of way. Power to provide roadside seats and
shelters, and omnibus shelters. Consent of parish council required for
stopping up or diversion of highway or for removal of the requirement of
maintenance at public expense. Power to complain to district council as to
maintenance of highways or protection of rights of way and roadside wastes.
Power to prosecute in respect of ploughing of footpaths and bridleways.
Power to provide traffic signs and other notices. Power as to roadside
verges. |
| Investments |
Power to participate in schemes of
collective investment. |
| Land |
Acquisition. Rights of way
overland (other than highways) |