Fovant Parish Council, amongst others, have been considering the value of Quality Parish Status.
Stewart Agland, Head of Democratic Service, has a summary of guidance about the scheme. Any parish that is considering applying for Quality Parish Status should be aware that the criteria is fairly demanding. For example the clerk must be qualified, there is an 80% electoral mandate and a regular newsletter must be produced. Fovant Parish Council raised the question of forming a consortium of parishes to reduce some of the burden of the qualification. However, they were unsure of how this could be achieved in a rural situation with each council having its own priorities and voluntary Councillors.
Philippa Read, from the Wiltshire Association of Local Councils (WALC), informed the meeting that a consortium of parishes who group together to achieve the status collectively would still be required to have a qualified clerk for each of the parish Councils within the consortium.
Some parishes commented that some
clerks, who are excellent at their job, are simply are not willing to put in the extra time that it takes to achieve the qualification. Philippa Read informed the meeting that there are already two parishes in Wiltshire who have achieved the Quality Parish Status. WALC provides advice for parish councils who wish to apply for the status. Contact Democratic Services: 01722 434345
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