Council Administration

Each year at the May meeting the Members elect a Chair and Vice-Chair, and decide who will represent Council's interests on Council committees and any relevant outside organisations. The Chair and Vice-Chair sign an Acceptance of Office.

Every four years there is an election. Anyone over 18 who is resident or employed within or near to the Parish may stand. The Council may have up to nine councillors. At the first meeting of a new Council the Members sign an Acceptance of Office and agree to abide by the adopted Code of Practice. The Code is a model from the Standards Board for England.

Members also complete a Register of Interests and declare personal and prejudicial interests in any relevant matter on a Council agenda. These declarations are minuted. The Borough Council Standards and Monitoring Office holds the Registers.

The Council operates within a set of Standing Orders tailored to parish circumstances. The Standing Orders come from the National Association of Local Councils. The Standing Orders set out how the Council functions. They state that the Council should have a minimum of four meetings a year - Woodhouse has a meeting every month except August.

Financial Matters are governed by Financial Regulations tailored to parish circumstances. The Regulations are a model set recommended by the Audit Commission. The Council is subject to two audit processes, one internal and one external. In addition, the Vice-Chair checks the accounts every month and all payments have to be approved by full council. When the external audit is completed, notices are displayed to residents informing them of where they may inspect the audited accounts. A Finance Committee makes recommendations to Council. The external audit requires evidence of conformance to good governance, health and safety. Evidence of regular and annual inspections [e.g. of electrical, fire and gas installations] is provided to the auditor.

The actions of the Council are undertaken by a Proper Officer [the Clerk to the Council] and a Responsible Financial Officer. Their roles are to ensure that the Council functions properly and that its finances are well managed. There is also a Village Hall and a Village Hall Annexe Caretaker who accept room bookings, keep the premises clean and maintain basic health and safety processes for occupants and themselves.

In addition there are contractors who undertake maintenance and repair work. Some have contracts that last several years which resulted from tenders whilst others work to individual quotations approved by the Council as needs arise. The Parish Council has a considerable property portfolio. It issues Licences to Access Council Land to anyone with a gate onto e.g. the playing field, allotments or elsewhere. In turn, Council signs licences issued by the County Council for permission to maintain roadside seats and gardens, such as those at the entrance to Beaumanor Gardens and on the corner of Main Street and Beacon Road.

Supporting the Council are several organisations that provide advice, guidance and training. These include the Borough and County Councils whose officers provide training on handling planning applications and on the wider infrastructure proposals, among other matters. The National Association of Local Councils provides guidance on legal topics and the local Leicestershire and Rutland Association of Local Councils and the Society of Local Council Clerks offers advice and training on a wide range of council-related matters.

The Council is not required by law to hold formal, written policies on some matters e.g. health & safety or equal opportunities but it operates within the guidelines provided by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Health and Safety Executive. Examples are the addition of Browse Aloud for blind readers on the Council website, the hearing loop for the hard of hearing in the Village Hall, the disabled toilet for wheelchair users in the Village Hall, disabled parking spaces on the car park, and DDA compliant playground equipment. The Council follows best practice as far as is reasonable for a small parish and encourages people of all abilities to both visit Council premises or to take up employment. The Council's policy is below.

Complaints about the Council that cannot be resolved through raising the matter with the Proper Officer or Chair are handled by the Standards and Monitoring Officers at Charnwood Borough Council and then by the Standards Board for England, Fourth Floor, Griffin House, 40 Lever Street, Manchester M1 1BB Tel: 0845 078 8181 www.standardsboard.gov.uk Details are in the Code below.