Finningley Parish Council

Information on the work of the parish council

Parish and town councils in England and community and town council in Wales are the first tier of local government. They deliver a range of services at a community level. There are around 10,000 community, parish and town councils in England and Wales, made up of nearly 100,000 councillors. These first tier councils can respond to the needs of the community, delivering the services or representation it most needs.

Parish councils are statutory bodies and its members are elected for a term of four years. Parish councils are funded principally by an annual precept which is added to the council tax, collected by the borough council (principal authority) and paid to parishes in two six-monthly instalments. Parish and town councils can apply for other funding such as grant and funding awards, but they do not receive funds direct from central government, as do principal authorities.

The parish council:
• Undertakes projects and schemes which benefit local residents
• Works in partnership with other bodies to achieve benefits for the parish
• Alerts relevant authorities to problems which arise or work which needs to be undertaken
• Helps the higher tier of local government to keep in touch with their local communities
• Works closely with the local police
• Reports of parish council meetings are made by the local reporter who attends most of our monthly meetings

Doncaster Council consults us on all planning applications affecting the parish but it is they who make the final decision. The parish council reports all problems with roads from pot holes to poor surfacing, and street and road signs to Doncaster Council who then deal with the issues raised.

Finningley Parish Council owns various pieces of land in the village including greens and the joint playing field. The Joint Playing Field Committee is responsible for the general running of this parish. However, the parish council is responsible for grass cutting and pays Doncaster Council to emptying litter and dog fouling bins. The Joint Playing Field Committee is responsible for the day to day running of this facility. The parish council also owns the village hall which is run by a separate Management Committee.
In both cases donations are made on an annual basis to these bodies in order to assist in the running costs and in both cases members of the parish council are represented on these committees.
The parish council owns the village pond and sets money aside each year in the budget for maintenance.

What powers does a parish council have?
A parish council has a wide range of powers which essentially relate to local issues, such as looking after community buildings, open spaces, play areas and much more.
In 2003 the Government introduced the Quality Parish & Town Council Scheme with the aim of encouraging councils, on behalf of their communities, to have a greater say in the running and improvement of local services. Finningley Parish Council is applying for Quality Status in December this year and hopes that the application will be successful.
We, together with many other parishes in the Borough, have recently signed up to Doncaster Council’s Joint Charter and it is anticipated that this will bring more consultation and liaison with the principle authority.

General

Finningley Parish Council meets on the third Tuesday of each month commencing at 7 pm in
the Village Hall, Old Bawtry Road, Finningley

Members of the public are very welcome to attend these meetings and, prior to commencement of formal business, a period of up to 15 minutes is set aside for public participation.

We aim to keep residents well informed by publicising minutes and agendas on the various notice boards as well as on this website.

Other useful numbers:

DMBC Community First	736000
South Yorkshire Police	0114 220 2020
Local Police (non urgent)	624826
Airport noise complaints	623623

or email: environmment@robinhoodairport.com

Local MP:
Rt Honourable Caroline Flint, Meteor House, First Avenue, Hayfield Lane, Auckley DN9 3GA.
Tel: 01302 623330, Fax 01302 755099 or email: flintc@parliament.uk