About Us

About the website

The purpose of this website is to provide an online reference point for the latest Parish Council decisions and notices but also to share news about local parish events.

We openly encourage parishioners to use the site and submit their own opinions, topics and events which can be raised at future meetings and/or posted on this site.

If you are involved in local clubs or organisations and would like to share events on the parish website, then you can do so by Emailing your content to: georgehamparishcouncil@gmail.com

Please send in a Word or PDF format and attach any images you’d like with it.

It will be reviewed by a councillor and posted within 7 days subject to approval.

About the parish council

The parish council is a civil local authority and is the first tier of local government.

The parish council makes decisions on behalf of the people in the parish. It is the level of government closest to the community, with the district council above it in the hierarchy. We are an elected body, have variable powers, and are responsible for areas known as civil parishes.

As it is the authority closest to the people, the parish councils is invariably the first place people should go with concerns or ideas. For this reason we are a vital part of our community.

How the parish council operates is governed by legislation and it must comply with rules known as standing orders and financial regulations.

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What decisions do the parish council make?

The parish council makes all kinds of decisions on issues that affect the local community. Probably the most common topics that the parish council gets involved with are:

• Consultee on local planning applications
• Planning enforcement
• Managing open spaces, play parks, and skatepark
• Campaigning for and delivering better services and facilities.
• Protecting the natural environment

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It’s fair to say that on our own, the parish council has limited powers to make decisions. But we do have the ability to negotiate with, and the power to influence, those other organisations that do make the final decisions such as the district council, county council, health authorities, police and other emergency services. In this respect the parish council has a significant role to play. The organisations that make the final decisions know that a parish council gives the best reflection of how the community feels about something, and its views will be taken seriously.

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What powers do the parish council have?

We have a wide range of powers which essentially relate to local matters, such as

• Georgeham pavilion
• The Georgeham Cemetery and closed Georgeham Churchyard
• Open spaces
• Georgeham and Croyde play areas and Croyde skatepark
• Street lighting (Glebefield)
• Georgeham Car park
• Georgeham Public Toilets
• Footpaths

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The council also has the power to raise money through taxation called the parish precept. The precept is the parish council’s share of the council tax. The precept demand goes to the billing authority, the district council, which collects the tax for the parish council.

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Want to find out more?

Please attend one of our monthly meetings usually held on the last Thursday of every month at Georgeham Village Hall from 6pm with tea and coffee at 5pm for informal discussions. We welcome you and look forward to seeing you.