David Hauser
was elected at the May (Annual) Parish Council Meeting held on 21st May 2008.
he succeeds Gavin Owen who remains a Parish Councillor.
A Chairman is elected annually for each ensuing year at this time.
David has not made a statement and the following information is left from the outgoing Chairman:
The function of a Parish Council is to respond to initiatives of the Government, County Council, District Council, Parishioners and others as they affect the Parish. Parish Councils are routinely asked for comments on all planning applications in their parish. Due to pressure on the planning authority, Stroud District Council, by the Government, to complete the process within two months, it can be seen that we are also under pressure to pass our comments on a timely basis.
Although some Councillors are members of political parties, a Parish Council is about doing what we can for the parish rather than trying to implement political doctrine. Indeed, if a Councillor tries to introduce political doctrine into the proceedings it usually fails.
We started a Parish Plan. This is a process whereby the parish consults parishioners, both at an individual and village organisational level, about what they think should be done for the parish. The results will give the Parish Council some direction as to what to do. We have had a 25% response to questionnaires that were sent to every household and one of the findings is that we have an increasingly ageing population.
One of the major problems in most villages is housing and many people are concerned about where their children are going to live? The number of first time buyers who buy a house without parental help has dropped to 17%. Stroud District Council has raised the number of affordable houses on new developments to 30% but with only the top 10% of earners being able to buy even a modest property this is far too low a percentage.
Gavin Owen
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There is a separate section on the Annual Parish Meeting which is entirely separate from Parish Council Meetings. By law every Parish must have at least one per year and where there is a Parish Council it falls to the that body to arrange one - but it is YOUR meeting and I urge you to attend Annual Parish Meetings.
Feedback from the 2005 Annual Parish Meeting on the 18th May was that some of those attending felt that the purpose of the meeting was somewhat unclear & that insufficient time was given for them to have their say and they would have liked longer to express some of their views.
The Parish Council took this message on board but had no intention of ignoring or denying anyone a say. However the purpose of the meeting was to raise interest in the future of the Parish, to show how a community might help develop itself, and to discuss the important issues via the Parish Plan concept. The issues would then be incorporated into a document which the Parish Council would adopt to use as its guidance.
The Parish Council always responds to issues that are raised at any time by any Parishioner.
Statement from the Parish Council
(2005)
For some years the Parish Council (like many another) has kept the amount it precepts from the District Council down by using reserves that have built up over several years, but it must still prepare an annual budget. Last year the budget was £18,090 but the Council only precepted £14,000. This year’s budget is £22,680 & KSPC precepted £21,000. Your newly elected Council, over half of whom are new to office at the June 2004 elections, decided it should have a precept more closely aligned to the budget figure if it is to provide the kind of services needed and make plans for the future. Government & other requirements (such as insurance and safety maintenance) also place duties on local councils that they are bound to carry out. When discussing the budget and level of the precept for 2005/06 in October 2004 the Council felt that £10.40 per person on the electoral register for a year was not an unreasonable sum to ask – but the high percentage increase shown on your Council Tax bills naturally led to some queries.
The figure of £10.40 comes from dividing £21,000 by the number of electors (at time of budget preparation listed as 2020). The number of electors as of April 2005 is actually 2031 so the figure of £10.40 becomes £10.34.
The District Council produced & distributed a list of the precepts and Council Tax Rates for all Parish and Town Councils with its annual Council Tax information, and, although KSPCs precept is considerably higher than last year it does not appear to have raised the Parish Council Tax bills over the level of other comparable Councils.
None of your Parish Councillors take any expenses from the precept and last year the Council was obliged to co-opt two Councillors to fill the vacancies as there were insufficient candidates at the elections last June.
This year the Parish Council plans to install a roundabout in the Children's Play Area on Marling Close and is also looking at providing a modest basketball facility for the older ones, for whom there is little or nothing provided at present.
If you have any further questions please feel free to contact any of your Parish Councillors whose contact details can be found elsewhere on the Parish Council website or on its Notice Boards situated in various parts of the Parish: Village Green KS, Bus Shelter Middleyard, Bus Shelter The Green Selsley, Bus Shelter Selsley Hill.
The Annual Parish Meeting is but one of your opportunities to meet the Councillors, ask questions and help the Parish Council work towards a better life in the villages that comprise Kings Stanley Parish. For more details, click on Home & look for Annual Parish Meeting.
Gavin Owen