Aims and Objectives

Plus: Invitation to attend Parish Council Meetings.
Plus: Notices / Notice boards.

The aims of Helmdon Parish Council are:

• To provide an effective, transparent and accountable local Government and to be a strong voice for residents and local businesses.
• To retain the existing character and community spirit of the village whilst encouraging the development of a strong, inclusive and vibrant community.
• To preserve and enhance the rural, built and natural environments of Helmdon.

The objectives for Helmdon Parish Council are:

• To understand and communicate the views, needs and aspirations of residents to statutory and non-governmental bodies as required.
• To manage the council’s assets and finances effectively and in accordance with statutory requirements.
• To provide, maintain and improve play equipment, allotments and public green spaces.
• To support the work of village groups and organisations through grants and practical support.
• To respond to planning applications and other statutory consultations on time, ensuring that recommendations adhere to statutory regulations and the interests of the community.
• To ensure that Councillors and Staff have access to high quality training and development opportunities and that Councillors and Staff meet all required standards.
• To keep informed of changes to legislation and ensure that procedures and Parish Council policies are reviewed and revised in line with such changes.

Parish Council Meetings

The Parish Council currently meets on the fourth Wednesday of alternate months in the Reading Room. The Annual Parish Meeting is held in April and the annual parish council meeting is held in May. An Open Forum, where members of the public are invited to attend and put forward items for discussion or debate, is placed on the agenda of each Parish Council meeting. This is a commitment that the Parish Council is under no obligation to provide but which it does in order to make the Parish Council more open, responsive and receptive to parishioners’ views.

We would hope that any parishioner would feel welcome at a Parish Council meeting and would respect that the Council does have business to deal with, during which time public debates are not permitted.

All Parish Council meetings are open to members of the public and press. [For more information please see the Transparency Code page.]

All the Parish Councillors have signed up to a Code of Conduct, which covers most aspects of interests and responsibilities. For more information please [see the Code of Conduct page or] contact the Parish Clerk.

Parish Council Notices

Any items of interest to parishioners, along with agendas and other documents for public display are displayed on this website and on the Parish Council notice boards around the village. There are three notice boards, one fixed to the outside wall of the Reading Room (20 Church Street), another in Wappenham Road at the junction with Field Way (The Square) and the third beside the post box near The Green.

Items are usually displayed on each board but where something has to legally be displayed, and only one copy is available, then this will be displayed on the noticeboard near The Green.

Organisations wishing to have notices displayed are asked to keep the size of them to a minimum (ideally A5) to allow room. Three copies of each notice should be dropped round to John Coatsworth, Chris Thorpe or Cllr Wheeler well in advance of any event/deadline.

Comments and Suggestions

If any Helmdon resident has a contribution to make towards the running of the village, comments and suggestions are always welcomed by the Parish Clerk or the elected Councillors.