WHAT IS A PARISH COUNCIL?

A Parish Council is a small local authority representing the tier of local authority closest to the community.  With a full complement, Chart Sutton Parish Council has 7 members who are elected to serve a term of four years. They try to ensure that the views of the community are expressed and taken into account by other authorities, agencies and organisations responsible for taking decisions which affect Chart Sutton and its inhabitants.

HOW OFTEN DOES THE PARISH COUNCIL MEET AND WHAT HAPPENS AT THE MEETING?

The Parish Council usually meets on the second Monday of every month, click on 'Meeting schedule' tab for future meeting dates. Meetings are held in the village hall, usually commencing at 7.45 p.m.   A notice of each meeting is placed on the notice board and on the website in the week prior to the meeting so that members of the public can see what business the Parish Council will be conducting.

The Parish Councillors will discuss and consider each item on the agenda.  Sometimes they will resolve to take action on a matter; in other cases it will be necessary for the matter to be deferred so that further information or advice can be obtained.

Whilst the purpose of the meeting is the conduct of business by the Council, we also set aside a period of time at the beginning of each meeting for the public to ask questions and make reports.  This is also the public’s opportunity to make comments upon agenda items if they wish, but it must be remembered that once the public session has finished the public should take no further part in the meeting except with the express permission of the Chairman.

WHAT DOES THE PARISH COUNCIL DO?

Chart Sutton Parish Council has a number of formal powers and using these it is responsible for the bus shelter at Chart Corner and the street light at Mercer Way, various seats and litter bins, the village sign and noticeboards, open spaces including the Memorial playing field, pavilion and the play area.  Other matters, such as street cleaning and highway related matters, are the responsibility of other authorities, such as Maidstone Borough Council and Kent County Council.  Chart Sutton Parish Council has developed a good working relationship with these authorities, and others, with a view to ensuring by its influence that Chart Sutton remains a safe, clean and attractive place to live.

HOW IS THE PARISH COUNCIL INVOLVED IN THE PLANNING APPLICATION PROCESS?

The Parish Council is a statutory consultee on all planning applications that are submitted to Maidstone Borough Council for the parish of Chart Sutton.

The Parish Council's planning committee usually meets on the second Monday of the month immediately preceding the full Council meeting and has further meetings as required in order to consider any applications that are referred by Maidstone Borough Council.

Residents of the parish have the right to attend any of the full parish and committee meetings but cannot participate in any of the proceedings. Time is allocated for public participation at the beginning of meetings. Meetings are held at Chart Sutton village hall in Chart Hill Road. For details of forthcoming meeting dates click on the 'Meeting schedule' tab or contact the Parish Clerk for more details.

Responses to planning applications are always made in the interests of the parish. 

The Planning Committee takes into account the general policies of the Parish Council, the planning policies of Maidstone Borough Council and Government guidelines when coming to a decision on whether to request that an application be approved or refused.

The Parish Council will oppose any development that has a detrimental effect to the parish.

HOW CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WHAT THE PARISH COUNCIL IS DOING?

Borough and District Councils have become very large and remote.  Chart Sutton Parish Council keeps its residents informed in a variety of ways.  You can find out what the Parish Council is doing by:

• coming along to Parish Council meetings. The meetings provide an opportunity for you to observe the Parish Council as it discusses issues and makes decisions on matters affecting the community
• looking out for reports in the Village News (the bi-monthly parish newsletter)
• keeping an eye on the noticeboards around the Parish
• asking one of the Councillors or contacting the Clerk if you have a specific query.  If you need to get in contact with a councillor please phone or email the Clerk.  Contact to the Clerk, save in cases of urgency, should be limited to the hours of 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday.  The Clerk works part-time hours only and so may not always be available, but she will try to respond to any enquiry as quickly as possible.

WHAT IS THE PARISH COUNCIL’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS OPENNESS AND HOW CAN I OBTAIN INFORMATION FROM THE COUNCIL?

Chart Sutton Parish Council is open about its business and invites members of the public to witness the decision making process by attending Parish Council meetings.  In addition, in accordance with legislation, the Parish Council recognises the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which sets out the information published by the Parish Council to which the public are permitted to have access.

HOW IS THE PARISH COUNCIL FUNDED?

Parish Councils are generally the least bureaucratic and cheapest form of local authority.  A Parish Council gets no general government grant and so raises the majority of income from a precept - a tax that electors pay which is collected by Maidstone Borough Council.

HOW DO I BRING A MATTER TO THE ATTENTION OF THE COUNCIL?

You might be concerned about any number of matters, e.g. the cleanliness of the streets, dog fouling, highway related matters etc.  You can bring your concerns to the Council by :

• speaking to a Councillor or the Clerk or contacting the Clerk by e-mail.  Do this as soon as you become aware of a problem – the sooner an issue is reported the sooner the chance of it being resolved.  In appropriate cases, where the Parish Council has had sufficient notice of a problem (usually no less than ten days before a meeting) and the problem is such that a formal decision by the Council is needed to progress the matter, an item may be put on the agenda for a formal discussion
• asking a question or reporting a matter during the public session at the beginning of a Parish Council meeting.  This part of the meeting is intended to provide a means of exchanging information.  It is not possible for the Parish Council to take decisions on matters raised during this time.  If it is simply information you need then it is helpful to let the Chairman or Clerk know no less than two days before the meeting of any question you wish to raise.  This also means that there is a better chance of your question being answered as opposed to it having to be deferred because information is not to hand.  It also helps the Chairman to plan the order of questions and ensure the meeting runs smoothly.  Remember, if the Parish Council is being asked to take action on a matter it must have adequate notice before the meeting, and if not it will be necessary for the item to be deferred to the next meeting.

WHAT DO I DO IF I HAVE A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE COUNCIL?

The Parish Council is a democratically elected body with authority to make decisions on matters within its power.  It works hard to provide a quality service to the people of Chart Sutton and to ensure decisions taken are in the interests of the Parish as a whole. There may be occasions when it is very difficult to balance the interests of everyone in the village and not everyone will be happy with every decision made.

We hope you will always find the Council acts fairly and constructively, even if you do not always support its decision.  If you have a complaint about an aspect of procedure or administration then you are invited to contact the Council.  This can be done by contacting either a member of the Council or the Clerk who will try to help resolve any problem.

If this is not immediately possible you will be advised of the Council’s Complaints Procedure and through that procedure the Council will try to achieve a resolution of the dispute.