What a parish council does

Parish councils run numerous services, depending on their size. These include delivering services, improving the quality of life and giving the community a voice on planning matters with principal authorities and developers, local police and health services, and the government.

Our Responsibilities

• Representing the views of our Parishioners as a whole to other governmental and community organisations
• Commenting as a Statutory Consultee on planning applications
• Some footpaths and verges
• Most street lighting
• The Queen Elizabeth II Field, including the play equipment
• ​Grass cutting in the Recreation Ground and church grounds
• Litter and dog bins
• Public seating
• Bus stops and shelters
• Operating the SAMS2 speed and ‘Slow Down’ indicator

Planning

The Parish Council is a Statutory Consultee on planning matters and is invited to comment on all planning applications affecting the village.

The local planning authority (LPA – in our case, Breckland District Council, plus rare applications to Norfolk County Council) generally allows us up to six weeks to respond to a planning application.  Applications are considered at our next meeting and Planning is included on the agenda as a standing item. 

Members of the public are welcome to attend our meetings and may speak during the public participation period of the meeting to give their views. All parishioners are also encouraged to provide their own comments on Breckland’s online planning portal.

While the overall decision belongs to the LPA, the Parish Council’s local knowledge and interpretation of the planning process means that its views are more likely to be heard by the planning authority, so long as the Parish Council provides valid planning ‘material considerations.’

The Parish Council’s comments can be found on Breckland District Council’s planning pages.

What parish councillors do

Councillors are elected to represent the local community, so you must live or work in the parish or town council area. Becoming a councillor is a rewarding experience as you can make a change in your community to help improve residents’ lives. A councillor’s role can include developing strategies and plans for the area, helping with problems and ideas, representing the community, working with other local community groups, making decisions, and talking to the community about their needs and what the council is doing.

A councillor’s role has three main areas:

• Getting involved locally — As local representatives, councillors have responsibilities towards their constituents and local organisations. These responsibilities often depend on what a given councillor wants to achieve and how much time is available.​​

• Decision-making — Councillors decide which activities to support, where money should be spent, what services should be delivered, and what policies should be implemented by attending meetings and committees.

• Monitoring — Councillors ensure that their decisions lead to efficient and effective services by monitoring how well things work.

Griston Parish Council

Your parish council currently has five Councillors against its full complement of seven, which means the council has two vacancies. Councillors are elected to serve a four year period, the last election being in May 2023 (this was an uncontested election).

When vacancies arise between elections, the Council has authority to fill these by co-opting applicants.

One Councillor is elected each year to be the Chair, supported by an elected Vice Chair.

We employ a Parish Clerk. The role of the Clerk is to act as our ‘Proper Officer’, and includes being our Responsible Financial Officer (RFO).

The Clerk position is advisory and supports the Council in matters of procedure, process and regulation.

Residents of the village are very welcome and encouraged to attend all Parish Council meetings.

Becoming A Parish Councillor

Becoming a councillor is a rewarding and valued form of public service. Councillors contribute to the work of the Parish Council by :-

• Seeking the best outcome to local issues
• Putting forward ideas for better services
• Responding to the needs and views of parishioners
• Getting involved in decision making
• Helping to make Griston a great place to live, work, visit and play
• ​All our members are volunteers and if you able able to give up a small amount of time this is a rewarding opportunity to make a difference.
  
  For more information, please contact our Parish Clerk (07704 740388) or Clerk@griston-pc.gov.uk