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Pangbourne Parish Council is one of 52 parish councils within
the area administered by West Berkshire Council. It consists of
eleven councillors, elected every four years, and meets on a
regular basis to provide and manage services for the benefit of
the community. The Council is a corporate body with a legal
existence quite separate from that of its members and its
decisions are the responsibility of the whole body.
Councils have been granted powers by Parliament to raise money
through taxation (the precept) and are able to spend public money
on a wide range of activities, such as community safety, street
lighting, allotments, playing fields, cemeteries, litter, war
memorials, seats and shelters, housing, traffic, highways, rights
of way and more. However, it can only spend money on what the law
says it can and then not on anything for which there is a
separate budgeting authority.
Council activities are governed by Standing Orders and Financial
Regulations, both of which are reviewed regularly. Day to day
management is carried out by the Clerk, who is also responsible
for keeping the accounts and advising on legal matters. Advice is
obtained from the Berkshire Association of Local Councils (BALC)
and the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC), to both of which
the Council subscribes. Accounts are audited every year and every
member of the Parish is entitled to inspect them during a fifteen
day period announced in notices.
Committees of councillors and other appointed members are set up
to perform certain duties. A Village Hall Committee runs and
services the hall. A Grounds Committee looks after recreation
grounds behind Thames Avenue and at Chiltern Walk, meadows and
National Trust land by the river, allotments at the end of Graham
Avenue and the cemetery on Pangbourne Hill. A Finance Committee
monitors expenditure and ensures compliance with all relevant
regulations. Other committees, such as the Village Plan
Committee, are set up from time to time to undertake specific
tasks.
At every Council meeting, 15 minutes is allocated for
parishioners to raise questions about community matters. A Parish
Meeting is convened every year at which all parishioners can have
their say about how the Council conducts its affairs. |
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