About Graffham Parish Council

Graffham Parish Council is the first tier of local government, serving the 500 people, living in around 230 households across 12km² (2,920 acres) in the village of Graffham itself and parts of the hamlets of Selham and South Ambersham.

The council plays a key role in representing their interests and improving the local quality of life and environment in this beautiful part of West Sussex.

The civil parish is within the Fittleworth ward of Chichester District Council, under West Sussex County Council and within the South Downs National Park.

It is funded by levying a “precept” collected with the council tax paid by householders and businesses in the parish.

Its councillors are unpaid and elected to serve for four years, unless a casual vacancy arises which may be filled by a by-election or by co-option.

Representative powers

Parish councils like ours must be notified by the district or county council of:

• All planning applications in their areas.
• Proposals to carry out sewerage works.
• Footpath and bridleway (more generally, ‘rights of way’) surveys.
• Intention to make byelaws in relation to hackney carriages, music and dancing, promenades, sea shore and street naming.

Meetings

The central function of the council – taking  local decisions and making policy relevant to the public interest of the parish – is performed at the meetings of the council.  Any parish council must hold an annual meeting and at least three other meetings in a year.  An extraordinary meeting may be called at any time by the chairman or members, but due notice must be given.

It can form committees with delegated powers for specific purposes.

Graffham Parish Council comprises its chairman and between four and eight other councillors.

Every meeting is open to the public, who are encouraged to attend, except for those items where the council formally resolves to exclude the public and press on the grounds that publicity would be prejudicial to the public interest.

Notice of meetings must be given at least three clear days before and be displayed in a “noticeable place” in the parish, giving time, date and venue.  They will also be posted to this website.  A summons to attend the meeting is also issued, specifying the agenda, to every member of the council.  Items not on the agenda cannot be formally debated or resolved.  Items brought up by the attendance of the general public or in correspondence can be discussed, but formal resolutions on these must be deferred to the next meeting so that due notice can be given.

The minutes of the meeting are taken by the clerk, and are ratified at the next meeting of the council.  They must also be displayed in a noticeable place in the parish and on this website.

Procedures for the conduct of meetings are set out in Schedule 12 of the Local Government Act 1972, and where this is not overridden by legislation, by the standing orders of the council.

Councillors are expected to adhere to the “Nolan principles” of conduct in public life.

Administration

The administration of the council is managed by the parish clerk, who is a paid employee acting in a combined statutory role as secretary and treasurer of the council.

The necessary financial monitoring and reporting are the clerk’s responsibility, and in this role the clerk is known as the “Responsible Financial Officer” (RFO) of the council.  The clerk is also the “Proper Officer” of the council.  Her role is to “enact” (cause to happen) the decisions of the council and to receive official correspondence and issue correspondence on the instructions of the council.

The clerk also prepares agendas for meetings of the council and its committees, gives notice of these to the council members and the public, and records and publishes the minutes of these meetings.  She is the formal point of contact with the public, and a source of information for the public about the council’s activities.

The clerk also provides procedural guidance for the council itself, and ensures that statutory and other provisions governing or affecting the running of the council are observed.

Parish council clerks are encouraged to have a formal qualification, such as the Certificate in Local Council Administration (CiLCA).

Elections and membership

The term of office of a parish councillor is four years, and council seats are elected en bloc through first-past-the-post system by secret ballot.   Legislation provides that the number of elected members of a parish council shall not be less than five.

The timing of the election cycle is usually linked to that of the election of a district councillor for the ward containing the parish – in our case, Chichester District Council’s Fittleworth ward.

A candidate must be at least one of the following:

• A UK or Commonwealth citizen.
• Citizen of the Republic of Ireland.
• Citizen of another member state of the European Union.

Candidates must state on their consent for nomination form their qualification for election, which must be at least one of the following:

• They are an elector of the parish.
• During the whole of the last 12 months they have occupied, either as owner or tenant, land or other premises in the parish.
• Their principal or only place of work is in the parish.
• They live within 4.8 kilometres (3 miles) of the parish boundary.

The chairman of the last council shall remain in office, even if not elected to the newly constituted council, until a new chairman is appointed at the first meeting of the new council.

Uncontested elections

Where there are an equal number or fewer candidates than there are vacancies, all candidates are elected unopposed, and no poll is taken.  Where there are fewer candidates than vacant seats, the parish council has the power to co-opt any person or persons to fill the vacancies.  This power, however, may only be exercised if there is a quorum of councillors present and within 35 days of the election.

If the parish council fails to fill the vacancies within this period, the district council may dissolve it and order fresh elections. If there is not a quorum elected the district council must dissolve it and order fresh elections.

Contested elections

Where there are more candidates than vacancies, a poll must be held. Undivided parishes, or multi-member parish wards, hold elections under the bloc vote system.

Casual vacancies

If a vacancy occurs during the term of a parish council, it may be filled by either election or co-option. Elections only occur 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. The nomination qualifications required of a candidate for co-option are the same as for those for election.

If the number of vacancies on the parish council is such that there is no longer a quorum, the district council may temporarily appoint persons to bring the council up to strength in the interval prior to an election.