About the Parish Council

What are Parish Councils?

A Parish Council is the first tier of governance and are the first point of contact for anyone concerned with a community/village issue. They are democratically elected local authorities and exist in England, Wales and Scotland. The term ‘local council’ is synonymous with ‘parish council’, ‘town council’ and ‘community council’.

Parish Councils are non political and are at a local level and as such are in the best position to understand and represent the views of the local community.

There are over 10,000 local councils in England and Wales, representing the concerns of local residents and providing services to meet local needs. Parish Councils have a wide range of powers including looking after community buildings, planning, street lighting, allotments. They also have the power to raise money through council tax.

Parish Councils are made up of locally elected councillors. They are legally obliged to hold at least one meeting a year. Most meet on a monthly basis to discuss council business and hear from local residents. In addition to this, any committees or sub-committees dealing with specific subjects must also hold regular open sessions.

How are Parish Councils funded?

The funding for Parish Councils is allocated by the District Council and is taken from the area’s council tax; this is called an annual precept. The income and expenditure for the next financial year are calculated in the form of estimates and this amount is added to the local council tax and then returned to the parishes in two yearly instalments. They can also apply for UK grants.

The Parish

Winterborne Stickland is a small village in north Dorset close to both Blandford Forum.  There has been a community here for at least 900 years as confirmed in the Domesday Book of 1086. In fact The Domesday book records the Canons of Coutances in Normandy, as the tenant-in-chief of the village in 1066 with no change by 1086, after the conquest.

Despite its relative isolation the village has a strong community spirit with excellent facilities such as a a sports field & Club, a playground, a church and societies as well as The Crown pub.

With a population of some 652 people and 290 dwellings (source ONS Census 2011) with a number of businesses and farms.

The village is connected by 4 roads connecting to Blandford Forum, Winterborne Whitechurch, Winterborne Houghton and Milton Abbas and Turnworth.