YOUR PARISH COUNCIL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Councillors: Andy Gribble (Chairman), Phil Corke (Vice Chairman), Tim Dix, Sarah Hall, Rob Horton, Grant Pinney.

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Woolmer Green Parish Council is a statutory body, created in 2000. It is the 3rd tier of Local Government in Hertfordshire with six elected Parish Councillors all living in Woolmer Green. The Parish Council is thus the closest part of the Government to you, the residents, and is ideally placed to represent you. Although we are referred to as the "Parish Council" we are not connected to the Church in any way.

The Parish Council is regularly consulted by Welwyn Hatfield Council and Hertfordshire County Council on various matters such as Local Transport, planning applications and whether there should be more housing in the village. These matters are discussed by the Council at their monthly meetings (open to all) and a majority opinion sent in. Each year, in April, the Annual Parish Meeting is held, at which there is usually a speaker, and where any resident of the village may put forward a proposal on which a vote is taken and the Parish Council must then discuss this at the next Parish Meeting.

In Woolmer Green, the Parish Council is responsible for some of the local amenities within the village, including the village hall and the surrounding playing fields. It also looks after the two children’s playgrounds and the pond (although Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council cut the grass surround). It is also responsible for the old village hall site, the Jolly Garden, next to the church. The Council is also a employer, we have 4 members of staff which include, a Parish Clerk, two caretakers and a cleaner for the hall. The grassed areas are cut by a contractor who also marks out the football pitch.

The Parish Council can request a small amount of money from you each year (commonly known as a Precept) this is collected via your Council Tax by Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council and then given to the Parish Council during the year. This money can go towards any essential work that has to be done within the village. Each year the Parish Council produces a budget reflecting its operating costs for the coming year and this is what you pay through your Council Tax, the amount varying according to the size of your house.

As a result of the Localism Act 2011 the Government is shifting power to local authorities, communities and individuals. This Bill gives more recognition and powers to Parish Councils'; the peoples' locally elected representatives.