Community Event – The Annual Parish Meeting

What is it?

Once a year, members of the community gather to bring each other up to speed on everything. Local schools, community groups, churches, local councillors etc to discuss what has been happening over the last 12 months and what is planned for the future.  The event is free and members of the public are encouraged to come along.

The background to these Annual Parish Meetings

This is, in legal terms, a quite separate body from the Parish Council, but it is invariably us that arranges it! Its decisions are not binding on the Parish Council, although we always take heed of what is said at the meeting.

The Annual Parish Meeting is a legacy from the Middle Ages, when Local Councils did not exist. All local decision-making was carried out by meetings of the whole community, taking place in the church vestry.

The Annual Parish Meeting is open to all electors of the Parish, who have the right not only to attend but also to speak on any matter of local interest. This is in contrast to a Parish Council meeting, where electors who are not Councillors, have no automatic right to speak.

This meeting should not be confused with the Parish Council’s Annual General Meeting.

This meeting has its own minutes, which are kept separately from the Parish Council minutes, and as is normal practice, these minutes will be approved at the next Annual Parish Meeting in 12 months. In the meantime a copy will be provided to the Parish Council as there may be points it wishes to progress sooner. The Parish Council obviously cannot approve these minutes as they do not belong to the them.