YOUR COUNCIL
Parish Councils
Parish Councils are corporate bodies whose powers have accumulated through legislation since 1894. The lowest tier of a Local Authority, Parish Councils were established under section 9 of the Local Government Act 1972.
The 2011 Localism Act afforded Parish Councils ‘The General Power of Competence’ if they met the criteria, namely that at least two thirds of Councillors are elected and the Clerk is qualified. The General Power of Competence allows a Parish Council to ‘do anything any individual may do’ .
Upper Beeding Parish Council
Upper Beeding Parish Council consists of 15 elected Councillors, representing the views of residents in Upper Beeding, Small Dole and Edburton.
Councillors are elected for four years with the last election taking place in May 2023. The chairman is elected each May.
The Parish Council meets at the Village Hall, High Street, Upper Beeding or the Village Hall, Henfield Road, Small Dole Agenda’s for both full council and committee meetings are published on the website and the village noticeboards, at least three full days prior to a meeting. A full calendar of meetings can be found here. Members of the public are welcome to attend all Parish Council meetings. People wishing to speak on an agenda item may do so in the public participation session.
The Strategic Business Plan
The Strategic Business Plan for 2021 – 2026 gives an overview of the projects that the Parish Council hopes to achieve over the coming years. This is a ‘live’ document which will be regularly reviewed by the full council and each committee. If you have any ideas or projects you would like considered, please let us know.
Committee Structure
In July 2020 the Parish Council agreed a new committee structure with the aim of becoming become more effective and developing the council as a whole. Committees have delegated responsibilities and the full council ratifies proposals.
Each committee has a membership of a maximum of seven councillors, except Staffing, which will have five members.
All councillors (whether a committee member or not) may attend all meetings if they wish, but only members of the relevant committee will have voting rights.
| Committee | Function/responsibility |
| Planning | All planning applications, Neighbourhood Plan, enforcement issues |
| Facilities | All ‘facilities’ e.g. sports hall, recreation ground, play areas, skate park, allotments, open spaces, trees, and ‘in Bloom’ |
| Community | Community engagement, annual parish meeting, events, clubs and working with other organisations within the community e.g. the village hall, school and youth club. |
| Finance | Monitor budget, regularly review and ensure compliance with financial regulations. Insurance, financial risk assessment and asset register. |
| Staffing | Clerk’s appraisals and confidential staffing matters. |
The Parish Office is located at The Sports Hall, Memorial Fields, High Street, Upper Beeding where the Clerk can be found most days. It would be helpful if you could call before visiting as she is often out and about in the village and we wouldn’t want you to have a wasted journey.
Powers of Parish Councils
Parish Councils have a variety of powers and duties, all of which impact directly on the community, please find further information here (link to Parish Council powers)
Upper Beeding Parish Council has the General Power of Competence as at least two thirds of Councillors were elected in May 2019 and the Clerk has obtained the CiLCA qualification.