What does a Community Council do?

A community council is similar to a parish council in that they are the first level of local government and the closest to the community it serves. Spooner Row Community Council serves the three communities of Spooner Row, Suton and Wattlefield.

The Community Council consists of up to 7 residents, who give their time and effort freely for the benefit of the community. Members of the Council are normally elected to serve every 4 years.

The Council has the power to improve the quality of community life by spending money on things which, in their opinion, are in the interests of our community and its inhabitants.

Our activities fall into three main categories:

• representing the local community

• delivering services to meet local needs

• improving quality of life and community well being

So, for example, the Council is the focal point for local consultation on matters such as planning applications, district council strategic planning, schools and roads. On all these issues, your local councillors represent the views of our community to other authorities such as district and county councils.

As for delivering local services, we provide the following

• the playing field

• litter bins

• dog bins

• public seating/benches

• future plans

Members of the Council meet once a month to discuss, monitor and, most importantly, make decisions on matters concerning our community. Our Annual Meeting will be held during May. The Minutes from each meeting are produced shortly afterwards and published as draft minutes until approved at the next Council Meeting, whereupon a copy will be placed on this website.

These Meetings are held at the Village Hall in Spooner Row. See “Upcoming Events” for meeting dates and times.

In addition to being published on this web site, the Agendas and venue information will be posted on the village notice board located by the Village Hall in Spooner Row and coming soon, at the junction of The Street and Eleven Mile Lane in Suton and the Guilers Lane crossroads in Wattlefield. A ‘Public’ or ‘Open Forum’ time of approximately 15 minutes is set aside at the beginning of each meeting for this. Don’t miss out, have your say!!

Each year the councillors choose a Chairperson from amongst their number. There is also a Vice-Chairperson and a Responsible Financial Officer of the Council. We are required to provide a set of accounts at the end of each financial year, audited by an internal and an external auditor. Once signed off these will also be available to view on the website.

If after exploring these web pages you want to find out more about the Council or are interested in doing something for your community, please contact us on the rfo@spoonerrow.cc