Who we are & what we do

Local services
Your parish council can be the first point of contact for a whole range of services that the community receives e.g. street lighting, road maintenance, policing, waste collections, use of parish premises, play and sports facilities. It receives a small amount of its money from your council tax payments (less than £70,000 for 2014-15), and the remainder comes from premises lettings and grants obtained for special projects. The parish council works closely with Charnwood Borough and Leicestershire County Councils and consults the Leicestershire & Rutland Association of Local Councils for advice and guidance.

Local decisions and accountability
All parish councils work to national Government requirements. Residents elect up to nine parish councillors who serve for four years. The Councillors choose a Chair and Vice-Chair each May, at the start of the council year. All sign an Acceptance of Office form that binds them to a national Code of Conduct, and they all record details of personal and financial interests that might affect their council decisions. Councillors are Volunteers and do not receive any salary for their role.

Local accountability

The Parish Council often carries out public consultations on local matters of importance and ensures accountability by publishing minutes of meetings and other information on this website. There is a Freedom of Information page where you can check what information is made available routinely. You can also go to https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/ to make a formal FOI request. Otherwise, the Clerk is happy to supply information on demand if it is legal and transparent to do so.

The Council meets monthly except for January and August, usually on the first Monday. The Council Meetings Calendar is where you will find Agendas and Minutes. The dates of meetings are set in May each year but have to be changed occasionally.

Our councillors are all elected, if you would like to become a councillor or find out more about what they do then please click here.

Our committees have specific tasks and can have delegated powers.

All councils have a Clerk, who carries out the council decisions, ensures that decisions and actions are lawful, and gives advice and guidance to the councillors. Some councils combine the roles of Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer, but Woodhouse PC keeps them separate. Both posts are part-time here. Government has strict regulations about how parishes spend money. A Government-appointed auditor checks our accounts each year and reports on how well managed they are. This council has a long history of successful external audit.