Tintwistle Parish Council consists of ten elected Parish Councillors with one Parish Councillor who represents the Woodhead Ward. The Councillors serve for a four year term or until the next full Parish Council election. Your Councillors are elected by the Parish or co-opted by the Parish Council. All Parish Councillors and their work is voluntary.
Parish Council meetings are normally held on the third Monday of each month except for May. There is also a Annual Parish meeting in May which precedes the May Parish Council meeting.
The meetings are normally held at Tintwistle Parish Council offices, Sexton Street, Tintwistle at 7.30 p.m. Members of the public and welcome and invited to attend.
The agenda for each meeting is displayed on the notice board outside the Parish Council offices on Sexton Street, as are the minutes of the previous meeting.
Relevant local information is also displayed on the notice board. Anyone interested in displaying notices or informing the Parish Council of upcoming local events please contact the Parish Council.
What is a Parish Council?
Tintwistle Parish Council is a corporate body – a legal entity separate from that of its individual members. Its decisions are the responsibility of the whole body. In 1894 an Act of Parliament created the civil parish, separating it from the church after its long history of delivering local services such as care for the poor, maintenance of roads and collecting taxes. Parish Councils have been granted powers by Parliament including the important authority to raise money through taxation (the precept) and a range of powers to spend public money.
The Parish Council is an elected body in the first tier of local government. Other tiers, known as principal authorities, have many legal duties to deliver services such as education, housing, town and country planning, environmental health and social services. High Peak Borough Council (HPBC) is our second tier and Derbyshire County Council (DCC) is our third tier.
What does Tintwistle Parish Council do?
The law gives local Councils choice in activities to undertake. A full list of the legal powers and duties can be found here: http://askyourcouncil.uk/the-good-councillors-guide/list-of-legal-powers-and-duties/
Tintwistle Parish Council serves the community in various ways, with Councillors engaged in daily activities to address local needs. Tintwistle Parish Council consists of ten elected Parish Councillors with one Parish Councillor who represents the Woodhead Ward. The Councillors serve for a four year term or until the next full Parish Council election. Your Councillors are elected by the Parish or co-opted by the Parish Council. Key service stakeholders include United Utilities (UU), High Peak Borough Council (HPBC), Derbyshire County Council (DCC), Peak District National Park (PDNP), Highways England, local Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), Derbyshire Association of Local Councils (DALC), Derbyshire Wildlife Trust (DWT), and more. Here’s a detailed list of what the Parish Council does for the community and examples of Councillors’ daily activities:
- Transparency and Governance:
- Ensures transparency and compliance with government codes and legislation.
- Maintains essential council policies and reviews them regularly.
- Keeps the Parish Council website updated.
- Publishes and distributes the TPC newsletter.
- Organises and publicises the Annual Parish Meeting to engage with residents and discuss local issues.
- Attends relevant training and meetings to stay informed.
- Community and Leisure:
- Ensures that resident’s issues are brought to the attention of the Council to be resolved where appropriate
- Identifies and manages events for fundraising, such as car boot sales, tombola and market day contributions.
- Organises or liaises with community events such as the Remembrance Sunday Procession, Christmas lights, national events, Warm Hubs and coffee mornings.
- Building Maintenance and Hire (Sexton Street):
- Ensures that the current building is fit for use and complies with insurance policies.
- Addresses building maintenance and Covid-19 and other health and safety regulations.
- Responsible for the hiring policy for the building
- Management of Allotments:
- Manages the allocation and use of 77 allotments on 3 sites
- Liaises with Tintwistle Allotment Gardeners’ Association (TAGA) through a partnership agreement to ensure plots meet the standards in the tenant Terms and Conditions.
- Conducts regular inspections and maintains waiting lists.
- Grounds Maintenance:
- Reviews and manages grounds maintenance arrangements for Sexton Street and Holybank Quarry
- Liaises with the Friends of the Quarry Group to ensure the conservation and biodiversity of Holybank Quarry.
- Installed and maintains 10 dog waste bins.
- Maintains the Cenotaph planters
- Installs Christmas lights at the Cenotaph Christmas tree and ensures the maintenance of the Cenotaph area
- Liaises with HPBC on ground maintenance issues
- Employs a contractor to support ground maintenance tasks
- Community Safety:
- Ensures appropriate responses to community safety and reports issues where necessary to the Police.
- Maintains working relationships with Highways England and DCC regarding traffic issues
- Maintains effective working relationships with local PCSOs.
- Works with DCC and United Utilities to tackle flood damage-related issues.
- Partnerships:
- Develops positive and constructive relationships with partner organisations*
- Health and Safety:
- Maintains 5 defibrillators for emergency situations.
- Adheres to government guidance on health and safety issues
- Addresses gully cleaning issues and streetlamp outages.
- Tintwistle Community Centre:
- Manages the Community Building Centre Project to result in a new building by 2025.
- Holds public consultation sessions and reports the outcomes to full Council and through TPC newsletters
- Manages design and funding for the new build, including a car park.
- Promotes and applies for funding for the Community Centre building.
- Finance:
- Ensures compliance with government financial regulations
- Seeks to provide best value in all finance decisions
- Manages the annual funding process of the Parish Council Community Fund.
- Promotes, selects, and awards allocations to community organisations.
- Climate Change:
- Develops and implements a Climate Emergency Action Plan.
- Appoints a Campaign Coordinator.
- Sets targets and involves the local community in climate change initiatives.
The Parish Council also has a duty to ensure that all the rules for the administration of the Council are followed. They must:
- appoint a Chair of the Council;
- appoint officers as appropriate for carrying out its functions;
- appoint a Responsible Financial Officer (RFO) to manage the Council’s financial affairs;
- appoint an independent and competent internal auditor;
- hold a minimum number of four meetings per year, one of which must be the Annual Meeting of the Council.
These rules are set out in law to guide the Council and together these rules make up the standing orders as formally agreed by the Council.
The Chair
A Parish Council Chair has the role of team leader for Council meetings. In all other respects the Chair is a member of the Council.
The Chair is elected at the Annual Meeting of the Council to be in charge during council meetings for one year; this is an office created by legislation commanding respect. They have a duty to ensure that Council meetings run smoothly, that all business is properly considered and all Councillors who wish to speak can do so. They have few special powers. For instance, it is unlawful for Council to delegate decision making to any individual Councillor and the Chair is no different. However, when a vote is tied, the Chair may use a second, or casting vote.
It is good practice for the Chair to refer to the Clerk for legislative advice.
The Councillors
No person can act as a Parish Councillor until they have signed a formal declaration of acceptance of their office. The declaration of acceptance of office includes an agreement to observe the current code of conduct adopted by the Council.
In addition to the obligations arising from a Council’s Code of Conduct, members have a responsibility to:
- attend meetings when summoned to do so; the notice to attend a Council meeting is, in law, a summons;
- consider, in advance of the meeting, the agenda and any related documents;
- take part in meetings and consider all the relevant facts and issues on matters which require a decision;
- take part in voting, and respect decisions made by the majority of those present and voting;
- ensure, with other Councillors, that the Council is properly managed;
- represent the whole electorate.
The Parish Clerk
The Clerk is the proper officer of the Council in law. The Clerk provides advice and administrative support, and takes action to implement Council decisions. The Clerk may have to act as a project manager, personnel director, public relations officer and the responsible finance officer. The Clerk is not a secretary and is answerable only to the Council as a whole. Legally Councils can delegate decisions to Clerks because they are trusted professional officers whose objectivity allows them to act for the Council.
Where Councillors, Clerk and Chair work together as a team they combine knowledge and skills to deliver real benefits to the community they serve. Good working relationships, mutual respect and an understanding of their different roles are vital.
Parish Council meetings
Council meetings are important; this is where Councillors play their part as decision makers. The Chair is in charge of the meeting, and the Clerk supports the Council as it discusses business. The meeting is the Council team in action.
Council meetings are formal events, not social occasions. They have a clear purpose – to make decisions – and are not just forums for debate. Furthermore, they are public events; the press and public have a right to observe how the Council operates.
The Council makes its decisions in Council, committee and sub-committee meetings. Council and committee meetings must all be advertised and open to the press and public. The Council should decide on a schedule of meetings for the year.
- Council meetings are meetings of the full Council. All Councillors are expected to attend.
- Committee meetings bring together a smaller number of Councillors to concentrate on a specific function of the Council and share the workload.
The Code of Conduct
Briefly, the Code of Conduct adopted by a Parish Council includes provisions that are mandatory by regulations. So a Parish Councillor must:
- treat others with respect;
- comply with equality legislation;
- not bully or intimidate anyone;
- not disclose confidential information;
- not bring the Council into disrepute by their conduct;
- not use their position or the Council’s resources for improper purposes.
A full copy of the code of conduct adopted by Tintwistle Parish Council can be found on the policy document pages.
Additional information on the Parish Council’s stakeholders:
Tintwistle Parish Council collaborates with various key service stakeholders to deliver services, address community needs, and maintain effective governance. Some of the key service stakeholders include:
- United Utilities (UU): UU is involved in addressing water-related issues and collaborating on projects related to reservoirs and water management in the area.
- High Peak Borough Council (HPBC): HPBC is a critical partner for local governance and service delivery, including planning permissions, waste collection, and other municipal services.
- Derbyshire County Council (DCC): DCC plays a significant role in providing services such as highways management, education, social services, and more within the county, including the Tintwistle area.
- Peak District National Park (PDNP): As Tintwistle Parish is located within the Peak District National Park, PDNP authorities collaborate on issues related to conservation, outdoor access, and other activities within the national park.
- Highways England: Collaboration with Highways England is essential for addressing A628 road-related issues, maintenance, and infrastructure improvements in the Tintwistle area.
- Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs): Local PCSOs work closely with the Parish Council to address community safety issues, respond to theft, vandalism, and other law enforcement concerns.
- Derbyshire Wildlife Trust (DWT): The Parish Council collaborates with DWT on environmental and conservation projects, including rewilding initiatives and biodiversity preservation.
- Local Community Organisations: The Parish Council engages with various local community organisations, such as coffee morning organisers, the Bowling Club, the Cricket Club, TAGA, the War Memorial Association, URC and Christchurch, alongside volunteers who contribute to community well-being and events.
- Derbyshire Association of Local Councils (DALC): DALC provides support and guidance to the Parish Council on matters related to local governance, policies, and compliance with regulations.
- National Association of Local Councils (NALC): NALC is a national organisation that supports and represents local councils, offering resources and advocacy for the Parish Council.
- Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC): SLCC represents and supports local council clerks, providing professional development, training, and resources for the efficient functioning of the Parish Council.