Kilsby Village

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Kilsby Parish Council

1. Aims and Objectives

The council’s aims and objectives for seeking community engagement and the

outcomes it hopes to achieve are:

A. Aims to:

· work more closely with residents, businesses and community groups;

· engage with as many people as possible who want to participate in decision making, monitoring services and planning for the future;

· ensure, that through the use of a wide range of approaches to public

involvement and community engagement, we actively encourage the

involvement of residents, to capture their views and learn their concerns and

effectively use those views as an integral part of the decision-making process.

· ensure that residents have the opportunities to be heard at every stage, and

have the capacity to be effective citizens.

B. Objectives.

This strategy is part of the council’s commitment to creating and maintaining

effective working relationships with all sectors of the community, based on trust,

openness and constructive challenge. Outcomes of the strategy will include:

· Improved communication through the establishment of new channels of

engagement.

· More residents understanding the role of Councillors and getting the best

effect.

· Improved engagement with local communities, with more people feeling

that they are involved in decision-making and a higher percentage of people

involved in volunteering.

· Improved satisfaction with local public services.

2. Defining the Community

Kilsby is a rural Parish situated in Northamptonshire. The principal authorities are Daventry District Council and Northamptonshire County Council.

There are 521 residential properties accommodating 1221 people of all ages (as at 2009).

The community may be defined as consisting of:

· Residents of the Village,

· Users of Parish Council Services,

· Village Hall Trustees & its users,

· Head Teacher and Governors of Kilsby Primary School,

· Young people who live and/or go to school in the Village,

· Retail and other and Businesses in the community,

· Interest groups – clubs and societies e.g. Brownies, Guides etc

· Voluntary organisations,

· Church Groups,

· Farming Community,

· Groups of people defined by a common factor such as age, disability, faith, etc

· Councillors and public service representatives including Council Staff.

3. Role of Council Members and Clerk

The Parish is non-political with 11 Councillors identified in the community, via

newsletters and the website, for their roles and responsibilities, which are also

detailed and published in the Council’s annual report. Council members

communicate with the public via their attendance at meetings as part of their work

with relevant committees. Councillors each have a number of different roles that

embrace a range of activities from the following: Planning Development; Finance; Recreational Ground management; Highways; Liaison with other Parish Council’s; Risk Assessment; Footpaths. These roles inevitably bring opportunity to discuss the work of the Council with residents and encourages participation and feedback.

The Clerk is the proper officer of the Council, who covers the entire spectrum of the council work, and works from home. Appointments can be made to visit the office and the clerk frequently deals with meetings or is in contact with parishioners via email, telephone and letters etc. The Clerks ability to do this effectively and courteously is as important as any other element of the Council’s work in the community and can give good feedback on the views of people on the services offered by the Council.

4. Provision of Information to the Community and Opportunities for Community Involvement

1. The Parish Office can be contacted 24/7 either by telephone or email.

2. The telephone numbers and addresses of all the Councillors are published on

notice boards, website, in ‘Kilsby Kronickle’ and in the Annual Report.

It is recognised that members of the community may wish to engage with the Council at different levels - from the odd email or letter with a suggestion on how a service could be improved, to regular attendance at a Council meeting.

3. The Parish Council website address is also widely published and the site contains

all the information an individual might wish to know about the work of the Parish

Council and its individuals, including meeting minutes, policy documents,

financial statements, annual report and how to contact anyone associated with

the Council. Anything not on the website can be obtained from the Clerk on request.

4. The council submit articles to the village newsletter on a bi-monthly basis. This is delivered to every household in the parish.

5. Information is published on the notice-board in the parish.

6. There is a time of public participation at each council meeting.

8. An Annual Report is prepared and sent out to every household in the parish.

9. The council undertakes consultations by questionnaire, public meetings as

appropriate, for specific issues.

Active feedback is sought and Councillors encourage people to participate in local affairs using a range of communication techniques available.

5. Involvement with Partnerships.

The council has representatives `on the following:-

· Kilsby Village Hall Trustees

· Kilsby Recreation Ground Trustees

· Kilsby Primary School Governors.

This Statement of Intent for Community Engagement was approved for issue at the parish council meeting held on 10^th November 2009. Catherine Camp– Parish Clerk