Council Organisation

About Parish Councils

Local (community, neighbourhood, parish, village and town) councils are statutory bodies and are the first tier of local government in England. They serve electorates ranging from small rural communities, towns and small cities; all are independently elected and raise a precept – a form of council tax – from the local community. Together, they can be identified as among the nation’s most influential grouping of grassroots opinion-formers.  www.nalc.gov.uk/about-local-councils

Details of the Parish and Town Councils in Council can be found on Cornwall Council’s website.

Millbrook Parish Council is responsible for looking after Parish Council owned areas of the village, which include the Tanyard, the play park, tennis courts, skateboard park, benches around the lake, and the graveyard. It is also responsible for amenities such as the bus shelter, the public toilets and car parks and is a Custodian Trustee of the Village Hall.

Key Goals

  • Representing the local community
  • Delivering services to meet local needs
  • Improving the quality of life and community well being

Members

Millbrook Parish council must have a minimum of 5 members and a maximum of 13 members, headed by a chairman who is elected annually. Further information about Parish Councillors is available on the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) website.   See publication – NALC / All about Local Councils

The Council is elected for a period of 4 years, any vacancy may be filled in the interim by co-opting a suitable person.

Qualifications for becoming a member of the Council (a Parish Councillor) are:

  • Your must be a British citizen, or a citizen of the Commonwealth or the European Union.
  •  At least 18 on the day that he or she is nominated as a candidate
  •  A registered local government elector within the parish
  •  A resident in the parish, or within three miles of the parish, or working full time in the parish for at least 12 months prior to the nomination or election day.

A person is disqualified from holding office as a parish or town councillor if:

  • They hold a paid office, or other place of profit in the council
  • They are the subject of a bankruptcy restriction order or interim order.
  • They have been convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to more than 3 months imprisonment within the last five years · They incur illegal expenditure (when acting as a councillor) of over £2,000, or are found guilty of using corrupt or illegal practices

If you are interested in joining the Council please contact the Parish Clerk.   You will be required to complete an application form.  Prior to joining the Council we also advise you attend at least one of Parish Council meetings.  Before you take part in an voting you will be required to complete a Declaration of Interest form.

The Clerk

The Council Clerk is a Council employee, the chief financial officer of the Council and the chief operating officer who is responsible for implementing any action decided by the Council and ensuring that all regular work in maintaining and providing public services and facilities is carried out.

The Clerk also has responsibilities to advise the Council of the legality, practicality and any possible risk factors of any action proposed by the Council

Council meetings

The Parish Council has a public meeting in the Village Hall on the third Tuesday of each month (except during August and December) at 7.30pm.

Members of the public are welcome to attend the meetings.  In the Public Forum, which is usually near the beginning of the agenda, residents are welcome to raise issues and express any concerns they may have about the council’s work or actions.

An annual Village meeting is also arranged by the Council, held prior to the Council AGM in May each year. At this meeting the Chairman and the Council will update residents on matters of public interest from the previous 12 months and plans for the next year.

Committees

Apart from the full Council meeting we have two committees, the finance committee and the planning committee.

Like the full Council, these committees are empowered to make decisions on behalf of the Council relating to these subjects. Like the full Council meetings the committee meetings must be advertised, an agenda published, the meeting held in public and minutes produced for the public record.

Minutes and agendas of Council meetings

Minutes and agendas of the Full Council meetings, Finance Committee, Planning Committee and Staffing Committee can be found on these pages:
Full Council meeting
Planning committee
Finance committee
Staffing committee

Note:  A decision was taken  by MPC to publish the most recent minutes before they are ratified, so that the public may keep abreast of the Council’s most recent decisions.  However, it should be borne in mind that minor amendments may need to be made before they are agreed as a true record.

If you would like further information, or to comment on, or contribute to the Council’s work, please contact the Clerk at the Village Hall on 01752 823128 or email theclerk@millbrook-pc.gov.uk.

Government Legislation

Legislation relating to Parish Councils be found on this page.

Policies

These can be viewed on the here.

Working groups

Working groups are formed from time to time to discuss specific ideas or projects, these groups can include councillors and other volunteers from the village. Working groups can make recommendations to the Council but are not empowered to make decisions or take any action without full Council approval.