The Council is the lowest tier of local government. The Council has little power but a reasonable amount of influence. Their main role is to exert influence on the decisions of District and County Councils. They are consulted on local Planning Applications, Highway/Road Safety issues, long term planning and wider community involvement strategies. A Parish Council is a local authority whose councillors are voted on by the electors in the Parish area and serve for four years. Roydon Parish Council has 7 councillors. All councillors live or work in Roydon. They are elected to serve and administer the residents of Roydon. The Parish Councillors determine and set policy to cater for the social, cultural, welfare and environmental needs of Roydon. Powers are mostly discretionary, i.e. they can be used to as great or little extent as their community wishes.
All councillors adhere to the Parish Council Code of Conduct and complete a register of interests.
Planning decisions are taken by King’s Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council. They give details of every planning application to Roydon Parish Council for the Council to review. They take into account the Parish Council’s views and comments on planning applications.
What can Parish Councils do?
Parliament has given various powers to Parish Councils. These powers relate to planning, provision of recreational facilities, community centres and public buildings, crime prevention, community transport, public toilets, tourism, allotments, footpaths, street lighting, certain aspects of highway maintenance, litter, open spaces, traffic calming etc. Powers were recently increased. They also act to represent residents of the parish on issues such as the Local Plan, problems with highways and bins, and with local businesses.
Roydon Parish Council is directly responsible for a number of things in the village:
Maintaining the Common
Looking after the village bus shelter
Commenting on all planning applications
Supporting village organisations
Providing a focus within the village for action/representations on key issues
Monitoring Public Rights of Way
Where do Parish Councils get their money?
The Parish Council sets a budget every year known as the Precept. The money is collected for them by King’s Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council through the Council Tax bills. This is paid by the electors in the Parish. The Parish Council may also receive grants and income in other ways. They use this to help improve life for their local community in many ways.
What does Roydon Parish Council do?
Elections to the Parish Council are held every 4 years.
The Parish Council employs a part-time Parish Clerk to implement policy decisions. The Parish Clerk carries out her duties from her home. The Parish Council also provides a conduit for complaints regarding overgrown trees, silted up drains, sewage problems, grass verges and street cleansing. They lobby for improvements in highways, footpaths, road safety etc.
It is responsible for managing open spaces, allotment provision and can identify areas for small-scale environmental improvements, such as green spaces, bus shelters, public seating, notice boards etc. Representation is made to other local councils where appropriate on planning and other matters. It is also able to provide grants to groups within the community.
How often does the Parish Council meet?
The council meets every bi-monthly, at Pott Row Village Hall. The meetings are open to all members of the public. All meetings start at 7.00pm. Members of the public can speak at the meetings, at the appropriate time.
How do I contact the Parish Council?
By email – [email protected]
By phone – clerk can be contacted on 01553 674382
How do I find out what has been agreed at Parish Council Meetings?
You will find draft minutes of meetings under the “Meetings” section of this website and on the notice board.
What are the other councils in Roydon?
The next tier above Parish Councils is the District Council (in our case, King’s Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council) which covers a much wider area, and above that comes Norfolk County Council.
What is a Parish?
The Parish is an area with a defined boundary, both in civil (administrative) and ecclesiastical (religious) terms.
