Sandhoe Community

May 2007 - Your elected Council

Following the May 2007 local council elections the following candidates were elected to serve on Sandhoe Parish Council

Mark Baxter [149 votes]
Harold Learman [98 votes]
Robert Macfarlane [103 votes]
John Pennie [109 votes]
Elaine Rodger [137 votes]

The next meeting of the Council is on Wednesday 18 June 2008 at 7.00 pm at Beaufront First School. The Council has four regular meetings each year and although very few take advantage of it, the meetings are public meetings and as a resident you are entitled to attend.

Until recently there was a short time allocated at each meeting when residents were permitted to speak.  Unfortunately, this was at the beginning of each meeting, so it was rarely possible to ask questions about any items that had been discussed by the council at the meeting.  Because there is such a long gap between meetings it was rare that any issues resulting from a meeting have a proper public airing at the appropriate time.  This has never seemed to be a process that would encourage residents to participate effectively in parish matters.  At the April 2008 meeting, however, Councillor Elaine Rodger raised the issue of public participation following stern criticism of the Council's performance and leadership at the Annual Parish Meeting and proposed that there should be greater public participation.  Coluncillor John Pennie  suggested  a move to  open the entire meeting to public participation.   There was clearly some discomfort amongst other Council members with both of these ideas, although to their credit it was agreed that greater public participation along the lines of Councillor Rodger’s proposal would be allowed and that there would be no requirement for giving 7 days notice of a request to speak.

Sandhoe PC has 4 council meetings a year, one of which is usually the AGM - or at least incorporates it.  There is also an Annual Parish Meeting.  The annual parish meeting is a different entity from the Council meetings and is supposed to allow local electors the opportunity to speak - at length if necessary.  In addition there can be any number of additional Parish meetings which are not Council meetings.  Think "meeting of the Parish" (its electors) versus "meeting of the Council" (elected representatives aka "the councilllors").

Parish meetings can take decisions which then have to be carried out by the PC.  Or if there are really serious issues under discussion, the District authority (Tynedale) becomes involved and is obliged to hold a referendum.

Six electors in a parish can call a Parish Meeting and can set the agenda for it.  The Parish Council must organise the meeting and if the PC chairman is in attendance s/he can chair it.  Parish Councillors at Parish Meetings have no special status at all, (in other words they may attend the meeting, but only as electors who reside in the parish).  Along with all the other electors, they can speak, they can make proposals and they can vote on decisions taken at the meeting.  A Parish Council chairman who is also an elector, (ie is a resident of the parish), is able to speak and cast votes.  A Parish Council chairman who is not an elector of the parish may not speak and is only entitled to one vote.
[Source: Northumberland Association of Local Councils]

You can contact the Parish Council on any matter concerning the parish.  Write, email or telephone the clerk:

Bill Grigg [griggbill@hotmail.com]
The Clerk to the Council
Sandhoe Parish Council
Haddrigg
9 The Riggs
Corbridge
NE45 5JX

Tel: 01434 634351