What does the Parish Council do?

The Council has many powers to act and spend money for the benefit of its Parish. Some of these require the support of the District or County to facilitate them - and all are subject to normal procedures of planning etc. For more information, follow this link.

What do elected representatives do for me?

Parish Councillors represent the people living in their local area at the closest level to the community. When decisions are being made they are there to put your views across.

What issues can the Parish Council discuss?

It may discuss anything that affects all or part of the community, directly or indirectly. As the democratic representative body for the parish, it may influence decisions made by others too.

How do I get the Parish Council to do something for me?

Ask not what your Parish can do for you but what you can do for the good of your Parish. If you are passionate about something which will benefit the local community then the best person to lead that idea to fruition will probably be you. If the Parish Council believe that your idea will benefit a significant number of residents without disadvantaging a significant number of others, then they will support you within the confines of the resources available. Like the important work done by many other people in our community, Coton Parish Council consists of volunteers who receive no financial reward for their time or effort.

To introduce a problem or idea to the Council then you can ask one of the Parish Councillors to put forward your views or come along and talk during the open session held at the start of every Parish Council meeting. You will find that you are more likely to get help or support if you present your ideas constructively. It is then best to procede by writing a letter to the Parish Clerk summarising your topic of interest, views and suggestions you may have, and ask that this item be added to the next agenda. The Clerk should then put your topic of interest onto the agenda for the next meeting. By introducing the topic and your ideas at the previous meeting in this way, the Councillors will, hopefully, have time to think about the situation, perhaps visit the site and gather any information they may need to address the issue during the following meeting.

Do not expect anything to happen quickly. Because of the legal rules that the Parish Council must abide by, any topic to be discussed must be on the agenda and any motion passed must be agreed to by the majority of Councillors (passed by resolution). If the Councillors believe that more information gathering is needed then this may delay any decision until yet another meeting.

Large expenditures, unless emergencies, must be precepted for. This means that to spend public money on significant projects, expenditure must be agreed by the Parish Council before the end of the preceding financial year (financial year ends 5th April). This may mean significant delays for implementation. The money the Parish Council spends comes from Coton residents; the precept comes from your council tax. For example, when repairs are needed on bus shelter rooves due to vandalism, then that money comes out of all the pockets of Coton residents who pay Council tax. Funding and grants can also be sought from a number of funding bodies.

For more information about Parish Councils, please follow this link.

For the South Cambridgeshire Parish Council guidance page, follow this link.