What is a Parish Council?

A Parish Council is a small local authority representing the tier of local authority closest to the community.  Barming Parish Council has 9 members who are elected to serve a term of four years. They try to ensure that the views of the community are expressed and taken into account by other authorities, agencies and organisations responsible for taking decisions which affect Barming and its inhabitants.

Parish Councils are generally the least bureaucratic and cheapest form of local authority.  A Parish Council gets no general government grant and so raises the majority of income from a precept i.e. a tax that electors pay collected by Maidstone Borough Council. 

The Parish Council usually meets on the second Wednesday every month, see Calendar for future meeting dates. Meetings are held in the Parish Hall at Tonbridge Road and these usually commence at 7.30 p.m.   A notice of each meeting is placed on the notice board and on the website in the week prior to the meeting so that members of the public can see what business the Parish Council will be conducting. 

The Parish Councillors will discuss and consider each item on the Agenda.  Sometimes they will resolve to take action on a matter; in other cases it will be necessary for the matter to be deferred so that further information or advice can be obtained.

Whilst the purpose of the meeting is the conduct of business by the Council, Barming  Parish Council sets aside a period of time at the beginning of each meeting for the public to ask questions and make reports.  This is also the public’s opportunity to make comments upon agenda items if they so wish, but it must be remembered that once the public session has finished the public should take no further part in the meeting except with the express permission of the Chairman.