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What is the Parish Council?

The Parish Council is an elected body of local government, constituted under the Local Government Act and empowered under various acts of parliament. It is the first tier in the democratic process which comprises :

Parish or Town Councils
District Authorities (in this area comprising three independent bodies!)

Scarborough Borough Council

North Yorkshire County Council

North York Moors National Park Auth.

Central Government (Parliament)

Glaisdale Parish is split into two Wards - Glaisdale Ward which elects four of the seven councillors, and Lealholm Ward which elects the remaining three councillors. The two Wards reflect the distribution of the population in the parish as well as the geographical divisions. They also determine the differing representation at district authority level, which is an unusual feature in this area. (this means that Glaisdale and Lealholm Wards have different Borough Councillors to represent our interests at the next level of government!)

This does not mean that the wards are in competition with each other for any services provided, the council administers the parish as a whole and works as a single body without favouring any one community or area.

What does the Parish Council do?

As the tier of government closest to the electorate, Parish Councils are the most accessible and the best placed form of government to deal with local issues. Parish Councillors are elected once every four years and normally live and/or work within the parish that they serve and so have a good understanding of local issues and needs. A good councillor should be known by the local population and be approachable and a good listener.

Glaisdale Parish Council is an active body, as any study of the minutes will show, and provides several benefits to local residents on a month by month basis. Regular activity includes care and maintenance of the parish infrastructure (roads and drainage, verge and open space management, signs and street lighting) through agency agreements with the district authorities, as well as commenting on all planning applications and issues.

The council interacts with all of the local district authorities in promoting issues and concerns that matter to you and strives always to get the 'best result' on your behalf.

When does the Parish Council meet?

Glaisdale Parish Council meets on the third Thursday of every month, excepting August and December which meetings are omitted if there is no urgent business. Meetings are normally held in the Robinson Institute at Glaisdale and commence at 7.30pm.

The Annual Assembly is held prior to the March meeting and is held alternately in the Robinson Institute, Glaisdale and the Ley Hall, Lealholm. This year the venue is the Ley Hall, Lealholm and commences at 7.00pm.

The 2010 schedule of dates is as follows .....

Dates in red (**) - Meetings may be omitted if there is no urgent business

January 21st	July 15th
February 18th	August 19th **
March 18th (Annual Assy)	September 16th
April 15th	October 21st
May 20th	November 18th
June 17th	December 16th **

How can I engage with the Parish Council?

There are several ways for you to participate in the activities of your Parish Council.

Every council meeting can be attended by members of the public and the press as observers, and the chairman of the meeting will allow time for general comment or enquiry to be heard from the floor. However, if you wish to speak to the council on a specific issue and require an official response from the council, then you are required to advise the council (via the clerk or any councillor) at least five working days in advance of the meeting to enable the matter to be included on the agenda as an item of business and to enable relevant information to be gathered for consideration.

Talk to your councillors. They are there to help you and are often able to give advice, they can raise matters in council on your behalf if you are unable to attend in person.

From time to time the council issues statements and organises public consultation exercises in order to gauge opinion on an issue. Please respond to these initiatives, if we lack a response we lack information and so are more likely to make unsatisfactory decisions.

Use this website to feedback comment on live issues and to submit items for inclusion on the next agenda.