Role of Committees

The Parish Council has a main council that can delegate some of its statutory functions (responsibilities assigned to a parish council in legislation) to one or more committees or sub-committees.  If there’s a specific task focussed activity then Working Groups may be setup.

Parish Council meetings are led by the Council’s (or committee) Chair (see ‘Role of a Chair‘ for details of what they do) and advised by a Clerk who is there to see that business is conducted within the law on how parish councils are run.

The key difference is that a Committee (or sub-committee) comprises members of the council whilst a Working Group can include other individuals.  Any committee must hold regular open sessions, at which members of the public can speak.

Unlike Committees and Sub-Committees, Working Groups cannot have delegated responsibilities and do not have to be open to the public.  Their findings and recommendations must be minuted and a report submitted to the Parish Council.  

Attending a Committee Meeting

All committee meetings are open to the public.  There is also an Annual Parish meeting which all parishioners are invited to attend.  All meetings are advertised on the council notice boards, on the web site and typically on village social media groups.  Residents can bring to the attention of the parish council anything that concerns them, either directly or though the clerk.  If matters raised are not the responsibility of the council, the clerk can bring them to the attention of the proper authority.

Representation on Parish Council Committees and Working Groups

All Councillors are required to attend the Main Council meetings.  They may also work on other committes, sub-committees and working groups – see table below.  Representation is proposed and voted on at the annual Parish Council meeting and may be amended during the year if necessary..    Find out more about the Committees, Sub-Committees and working groups in their Terms of Reference.

The current Committee structure for Brantham Parish Council can be viewed by using the link.