Council

Hambleden Parish Council comprises nine councillors and one salaried part-time Parish Clerk. We meet on the 2nd Monday of every month (except in August) with the venue rotating between the village halls of Frieth, Hambleden and Skirmett. Meetings start at 7.30pm and usually last around two hours. All meetings are open to members of the public and there is an opportunity for the public to raise matters of concern towards the start of each meeting. The meeting in May is preceded by annual parish and council meetings.

Councillors serve for four years, with elections normally coinciding with those for the Unitary Authority. If a vacancy arises during the term of a parish council, it may be filled through either a by-election or co-option. By-elections are triggered if, following the advertisement of the vacancy for 14 days, 10 electors send a written request to the returning officer. If no request is received, the parish council will be required to fill the vacancies by co-option.

Our parish councillors are unpaid and do not represent any particular political party.

Quick Links

Councillors

Meetings

Assets

Finance

Policies & Procedures

Traditional-style sign post paid for by the Parish Council

Division of Responsibilities

A parish council represents the first tier of local government. The second tier is the District Council and the top tier is the County Council (In some areas, District and County Councils are replaced by a single Unitary Council – this will happens here in April 2020, when the four District Councils in Buckinghamshire, together with Bucks County Council will be replaced by a unitary authority, to be known as Buckinghamshire Council).

Each tier of local government has different responsibilities and it is sometimes confusing for residents to know who to approach with regard to different services. Some services that were carried out by the District Council are being devolved to parish councils. Our activities can be said to fall into three main categories: representing the local community; delivering services to meet local needs; striving to improve quality of life and community well-being. The roles of a parish council can be many and various.

Briefly, here are what each council provides (NB this listing is not exhaustive; for full details see links to the Councils here):

Hambleden Parish Council

Bus Shelters

Commenting on planning applications

Giving small grants for community projects

Litter bins

Maintenance of commons

Maintenance of footpaths and some verges

Maintenance of Hambleden churchyard

Playgrounds

Road safety measures

Street lighting

War memorials

Buckinghamshire Council

Cemeteries

Council Tax and Business Rates

Housing

Housing benefit

Leisure and cultural facilities

Parking and car parks

Permits and licencing

Pest Control

Planning and building control

Tree management

Waste & recycling bin collection

Buckinghamshire Council

Blue Badges

Bus Passes

Education

Fly-tipping

Hedges and verges

Libraries

Public Health

Recycling Facilities

Registration of births, marriages and deaths

Roads, pavements and footpaths

Salt bins

Social Care

Street Signs