About Your Council

A parish council is the level of elected government that is closest to the community, with the district authority (Rushcliffe Borough Council) above it in the hierarchy.  Being close to the community, parish councils are very often the first place people will go with concerns or ideas. For this reason they play a vital part in village life, making decisions on behalf of the people in the parish. A parish councillor must have a passion for making a difference within their local community, recognising the needs of the young and the elderly in equal measure while taking into consideration the legal boundaries in which they work.

The number of councillors making up a parish council varies with the size of the parish – in Kinoulton we have seven.  Their work is entirely voluntary; no Councillor receives any payment for attending the meetings.  The Council is supported by the work of the Parish Clerk.

KPC meets on the third Tuesday of the month, except in the months of August & December, and considers planning applications and any other matters referred to it by local residents.  Matters requiring regular action in addition to planning applications include problems associated with highways, namely road and pavement surfaces, overgrown hedges, trees and verges, defective road signs and street lighting, plus traffic problems of parking or speeding. Other topics requiring attention are litter or other forms of environmental pollution, refuse, drainage systems and safety.

The Council meets in the Village Hall at 7.30pm & the agenda for each meeting is displayed on the Parish Council notice boards around the village and on the website.  Members of the public are also invited to attend and will be made welcome. There is a forum before the start of the meeting at which members of the public can raise concerns, ask questions and share ideas. If matters raised are not the responsibility of the council, the clerk can bring them to the attention of the proper authority.  There is also an annual meeting which all parishioners are invited (and encouraged!) to attend.

By becoming a parish Councillor you become someone on whom your community will rely to respond to concerns, seek help, offer guidance and lend support to local causes. You will be a community leader with the power to influence decisions for the benefit of the people you serve. Seeing your community change for the better, as a result of decisions you have helped make, is something that can give you a sense of achievement and pride. If you do become a parish councillor you will be required to sign up to the Code of Conduct. Once elected, parish councillors sit on the council for a maximum of four years. If they then wish to stay in the post they can stand for re-election. If you are interested in the role of parish councillor please contact our clerk or chairman in the first instance.

To be eligible for election as a councillor a person must be over 18 years of age, a British subject, and be an elector for the area. Also, during the whole 12 months before nomination as a candidate he or she must have occupied land as a tenant or owner in the parish (or within 3 miles of it) or have his or her principal or only place of work within the parish.