PARISH COUNCIL - Odcombe Parish Council

A ‘local council’ is a term which describes community, neighbourhood, parish and town councils.
These organisations are the first tier of local government and are statutory bodies.
They serve their local electorates, are independently elected and raise their own precept - which is a form of council tax.

What is a Parish Council and what does it do?

Local councils work towards improving community well-being and providing better services. Their activities fall into three main categories: representing the local community; delivering services to meet local needs; striving to improve quality of life and community well-being.

Through an extensive range of discretionary powers local councils provide and maintain a variety of important and visible local services including allotments, bridleways, burial grounds, bus shelters, car parks, commons and open spaces, community transport schemes, community safety and crime reduction measures, events and festivals, footpaths, leisure and sports facilities, litter bins, public toilets, planning, street cleaning and lighting, tourism activities, traffic calming measures, village greens and youth projects.

Odcombe Parish Council's work is wide-ranging

Examples of the work of the Parish Council includes:

consultee on planning matters. Whilst the Parish Council cannot make planning decisions, it does provide a local voice on all planning matters and contingency planning.
managing the recreation field, car park, children’s play area and supporting an annual play day.
supporting the Village Hall and contributing towards the cost of maintenance of the Churchyard.
commissioning the services of a “Parish Ranger” who makes a monthly visit to help maintain the ‘fabric’ of the local environment. The Parish Ranger carries out a variety of tasks, such as cutting back visibility splays and foliage, litter picking, simple drain clearance and hedge cutting;
liaising with the police over local crime;
liaising with district and county authorities over road safety schemes, broader planning matters that affect the village, environmental matters and so on;

How can I find out about the meetings, decisions and make a contribution?

The Parish Council meets on the third Monday of each month starting at 7:00pm.
The agenda for the meeting and the minutes of previous meetings can be found on this website.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the meetings and can comment and contribute during the Public Open session that is held at the start of each meeting.
If there are particular issues that you would like to raise or be discussed at a future meeting, you can arrange this by speaking to any of the councillors or by contacting the Clerk to the Parish Council, Terry Heath on 07549643402 or email clerk@odcombeparishcouncil.gov.uk