Parish Council

Parish Council

Role of Goostrey Parish Council

Goostrey Parish Council is one of the two tiers of local government, the other being Cheshire East Borough Council. Goostrey Parish Council represents the civil parish of Goostrey with a population of approx. 1900 electors. The role of Parish Councils is to be the voice of the local community and work to influence the decisions of the other tiers of government and bodies that affect community life.

The Parish Council comprises 10 councillors including the Chairman. The term of office is normally 4 years and the current councillors’ term of office expires in May 2027. The Parish Clerk is the Proper Officer of the council and the Responsible Financial Office and is a vital member of the team providing advice, administrative support and taking action to implement decisions

Parish Council Meetings

Parish Council meetings are open to the public and are held in the Village Hall at 7.30pm on the fourth Tuesday of every month (with the exception of August and December). The public do not have a right to speak when the council meetings are in session unless invited to do so by the Chairman but public comments are taken before the meeting commences and after the meeting.  The Council is required to give three clear days notice of all its meetings and meeting notices are displayed on the parish noticeboards situated in the Village Hall and at the junction of Main Road and Bank View and on the Parish Council website at www.goostreyparishcouncil.gov.uk

Committees

The Parish Council has the following committees to enable it to consider issues in more detail.

  • Finance Committee – quarterly meetings
  • Amenities Committee – quarterly meetings
  • Village Hall Management Committee – quarterly meetings
  • Planning Committee – as and when required (usually monthly)
  • Staff Committee – as and when required

Recommendations from the Committees are then presented to the full council.

The Annual Meeting of the Parish Council is held on the second Tuesday in May when the new Chairman and Vice Chairman for the coming year are elected and councillors decide on which committees they wish to serve.

In addition, the Parish Council hosts an Annual Parish Meeting, for the residents of Goostrey, where a report of the activities of the council during the previous year is presented and residents are invited to make comments and ask questions.

Powers

The Parish Council has greater freedom to choose what action to take than the other tiers of local government and has few duties but only a small budget with which to fund its activities.  Since 2022 the Parish Council has been able to exercise the ‘General Power of Competence’ which provides additional powers to do anything that an individual may generally do. Goostrey Parish Council has been involved in various village projects including the improvement of Boothbed Lane Playground, the development of the village website, the Speedwatch campaign, improvements to the Village Hall, the provision of benches and planters and was a major contributor to the Scout Hut and Youth Facility building.

Budget and Precept

The precept is the Parish Council’s share of the Council Tax. Goostrey Parish Council sends its precept demand to Cheshire East Borough Council which collects the tax for the Parish Council as part of the Council Tax bill.

View the Budget & Precept page for full details

Planning

The Parish Council, by law, has to be consulted on planning applications in its area. However, it is not the decision making body. The Planning Committee considers all planning applications and reports its comments to the full council. These comments are then conveyed to Cheshire East Council.

Freedom of Information

The Parish Council has adopted a MODEL PUBLICATION SCHEME under The Freedom of Information Act.  View the  list of all information published and how it can be obtained.