WELNEY PARISH COUNCIL – INFORMATION
The Parish Council covers the civil parish of Welney. In 2001 there were 415 people aged 18 or over on the electoral roll, living in approximately 208 dwellings. The total population in the 2001 Census was 520.
The Parish Council consists of nine members elected every four years. On 5th May, 2011 Six Councillors were returned unopposed. Two of the three vacancies were filled by c0-option at the meeting on 7th June, 2011 and it is hoped to fill the one remaining vacancy in the very near future.
The Parish Council are responsible for the management of the Welney Parish Hall, and also run the Playing Field and Pavilion, which is a registered charity.
The Welney Archive and Social History Committee of the Parish Council was formed in 2006 to collate an archive of the village history. This includes photographs, documents and any relevant information. A local lad was appointed as archivist, and the Committee was successful in obtaining funding from Awards for All to purchase IT equipment to assist with the archiving of the material. It is hoped to hold a further Open Morning during July/August 2011 and this will also be an opportunity for the Parishioners to meet the Council and to use the event as a Village Forum.
The Council is responsible for a limited range of local services such as street lighting, the Parish Hall, the Playing Field and Pavilion, the bus shelter, village sign, parish notice boards and for the emptying of the dog waste bins. It also provides a channel for representing local views to the Borough and County Councils and the local Member of Parliament, Miss Elizabeth Truss. It is also consulted by the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk on planning applications within the Parish The Parish Council appoints nominative Trustees to the two local charities, Marshall’s Charity and the Bishops Land Charity and these nominative trustees do not have to be councillors.
The Council employs a part time Parish Clerk who is responsible for the Council’s administration, finances, agendas, minutes and general correspondence. In January 2008 the Clerk was successful in achieving the Certificate in Local Council Administration.
Ordinary Council meetings are held in the Parish Hall on the first Tuesday of every month, starting at 7.30 p.m., with the Annual General Meeting taking place at the May meeting. The Annual Parish Meeting is held at 7 p.m. before the Parish Council meeting in March. Additional meetings are held as and when necessary. The Public may attend all meetings, but can only speak during the Public participation section. Agendas and dates of all meetings are displayed on the Notice Board on the Parish Hall as well as on this new website. The Council’s budget for the year 2011/12 is £9,000 . The amount needed is raised by setting a “precept, a tax on all residential property in the Parish. It is collected for the Council by the Borough Council. Additional income of approximately £50.00 per year is received from the bottle and paper recycling facilities on the car park near the Lamb and Flag Public House. One of the major expenses for the Parish Council is street lighting, which now costs approximately £1,300 per year. The figure includes maintenance and electricity supply. The Parish Council and Parish Hall Insurance premiums for the year commencing June 2011 were approximately £1,450, the Council having changed insurance companies and obtained cover for both the Parish Council and the Parish Hall on one policy. Administration overheads amount to approximately £3,500. Minor expenses include annual grants to the Church, and the annual rent of £178 for the Parish Hall paid by the Council as leaseholders to the Environment Agency, The income for the Playing Field is from the Cricket club for the hire of the ground for home matches, carpet bowls and yoga. The Insurance cover from the pavilion and the cost of the grass cutting are paid by the Parish Council, and this means that the everyday running costs are covered by the income.
In November, 2004 the Parish Council received a donation of £3,841 from the Gala 2004 organising Committee to help towards replacing the dilapidated play equipment at the Playing Field. This is being held in a High Interest Account which is gaining interest. The Hall Funds, Playing Field Funds and Play Equipment Funds are kept separately from the Council’s other funding. A copy of the Parish Council Annual Return is available (usually during October/November) once the accounts have been subject to internal audit and annual audit by the Audit Commission and copies of the Annual Return are published on the Parish Council website. In January 2005 the Council set up a steering group to oversee the New Parish Action Plan, which after much hard work was completed and a copy circulated to every household in the Parish. The Council have also prepared a Parish Emergency Plan, which has been lodged with the County and District Councils, as well as the Police and the local School.
On 19th May, 2011,The Parish Council were successful in obtaining planning peermission for the proposed New Community Centre which will be built on the site of the old pavilion on the playing field. It is hoped that the Parish Council will be in a position to purchase the site of the existing Parish Hall from the Environment Agency, and then sell the site to the local brewery which would produce cash donations to help towards the funding for the new building. The Architect and an advisor on obtaining Grants will be attending the next meeting on 12th July, 2011 and it will hopefully then be possible to obtain tenders for the building of the new hall. Once tenders are to hand then grant applications will be made.
In June 2010 the Parish Council took over the lease of the field off Chestnut Avenue from the Borough Council, for use as allotments and an amenity area. At the present time we have 5 full allotments and 3 half allotments let, with space for many more. The remainder of the field is being cultivated free of charge, thanks to the generosity of a local farmer. The grass areas close to the allotments are being kept tidy by the allotment holders and the larger grass areas of the field by the generosity of one of the Parish Councillors.
