The Communities and Local Government department issued a consultation document on 7th February 2011 entitled:
Click on above link to access the document.
The Consultation ended on 17th March 2011 and amongst others applies to District and Parish Councils. That is, as far as we are concerned, Central Bedfordshire and Biggleswade Town Council.
At the Biggleswade Town Council Planning meeting of the 8th March 2011, this document was discussed under items for consideration. At the meeting it was resolved:
"that a letter be written to ask if this code of practice applies to Town Councils, as they are not mentioned in the list of definitions of "local authority", and also to say that the code of recommended practice is a repetition of Town Councils own working practices."
The answer is on Page 8 of the consultation document:
ReplyDelete3.
In this Code:
“the Act” means the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980;
“local authority’ means:
• a county council;
• a district council;
• a parish council;
• a parish meeting of a parish which does not have a separate parish council;
• etc
A civil (as opposed to an ecclesiastical) parish can alternatively be known as a town, village, neighbourhood or community by resolution of its parish council - so it seems that Biggleswade is actually a Parish Council styled as a Town Council.
So I am at a loss as to why Biggleswade Town Council should need to query their status with the Department for Communities and Local Government.
If I were the Town Clerk I would not send this letter at the risk of being made to feel foolish by DCLG's reply:
'You come under the 'Parishes' category - it does apply to you. We're surprised that you even need to ask as you should really know this.'
Also - if, as you say, the code of recommended practice is a repetition of [Biggleswade] Town Councils own working practices - can you please start abiding by it and publish the information it says you should be publishing.
Thank you