SINGLETON AND CHARLTON PARISH COUNCIL

BUSINESS PLAN 2020-2023

What is a Parish Council Business Plan?

The Parish Council Business Plan sets out the Parish Council’s vision for the Parish, its purpose, values, objectivesand key prioritiesfor the next 3 years. It has been drawn up using the information obtained from the Village Open Forum . This Plan records and understands the views of our residents and highlights key priorities for the Parish Council to act upon either directly or in conjunction with others.

Why produce a Business Plan?

By creating a Business Plan the Parish Council has created a framework for it to work within. This will enable it to work in a more consistent and co-ordinated way and become proactive rather than reactive in its decision making. The Business Plan is centred around what our community has told us that they want. Also, the Business Plan will help our residents to have a better understanding of what the Parish Council does and clarify what it doesn’t do.

The Business Plan is intended to be a “live” document so it will be continuously reviewed, updated, and progress against key priorities measured.

Singleton and Charlton Parish Council – An overview

There are 3 tiers of local government in West Sussex. Each tier has different responsibilities. Singleton and Charlton Parish Council is the first tier and the local tier, so it represents the interests of residents and supports the work of community groups.

Chichester Borough Council is the second tier and is responsible for such things as environmental services, housing and planning. West Sussex County Council is responsible for highways which includes both roads and pavements, education, health, social services, public rights of way and libraries.

Singleton and Charlton Parish Council is made up of 9 councillors serving a 4-year term to 2023. The Parish Council elects a Chairman and Vice Chairman annually at the Annual Parish Meeting in May. The Council reports to residents at the Annual Meeting of the Parish also held in May. Parish Councillors are holders of public office but unpaid. They commit time to make Singleton and Charlton the best it can be by protecting what is great about our area and working either directly or with others to improve things. The next elections will be held in May 2023.

The Parish Council’s, assets include the Village Hall, Jubilee Gardens, the Pond, two bus shelters, notice boards, litter bins, benches, two defibrillators and Emergency equipment, which are maintained by the Parish Council on behalf of the community. The Village Hall is maintained by the village hall committee/trust.

The full Council meets on the third Wednesday bi-monthly in Singleton Village Hall. All meetings are open to the public with a period set aside for members of the public to address the Council. Residents are not permitted to take part in discussion other than during the public allotted time, unless invited to do so by the Chairman.The Council works to its Standing Orders and Financial Regulations which lay down the rules by which we operate and conduct our business. There is also a code of Conduct for Councillors which they are always expected to comply with.

The Council employs a part time Clerk who works from home. The Clerk administers the Council and carries out all the functions required by law. The Clerk is responsible for administration of the Council’s financial affairs and advises the Council on governance and procedural matters.

Financial Information

The residents of Singleton and Charlton fund the Parish Council via the “precept”. The precept is the local tax levied by the Parish Council and is collected on our behalf by Chichester Borough Council. The main items of expenditure are office administration, supporting our assets and one-off projects e.g. the defibrillator. We fully allocate our budget each year so any new activities which have not been budgeted for must either replace an existing budget item or are paid for from our reserves, via an increase in precept or by obtaining grants.

Our unallocated reserve is the money the Council holds in case there is a major problem which affect the Council’s business.

Parish Council Governance Objectives

The Parish Council strives to be a professional, competent and caring Parish Council, to be open and accountable in all it does and to ensure sound financial management. The Parish Council has adopted several policies to demonstrate our commitment to ensuring openness, transparency and good governance. All documents are available in full on our website www.singletonparishcouncil.co.uk

The Parish Council aims to:

• Be well-informed about the needs and opinions of our residents

• Improve our councillor’s and staff skills by undertaking training

• Keep abreast of opportunities and policy requirements

• Promote public participation at meetings and during wider community events

• Deal with enquiries speedily and efficiently

• Take on board all feedback either negative or positive

The Council had 5 main areas of focus, these are:

1. Our Staff and Councillors.

2. Maintain the parish’s rural character in accordance with the Village Plan.

3. Improve Road Safety

4. Manage the Council’s Assets

5. Build on Community Cohesion.

Our Staff and Councillors

AIM:The Council will support and enable staff to work effectively as a team together with Councillors, to maximise the service to the Community.

Objectives

Budget to provide the financial resources to enable us to implement the Business Plan.

Where appropriate, deliver larger projects through external support to enable staff to maintain existing commitments.

Endeavour to ensure decisions made by the Council take into account the work load of staff.

Invest in continuous professional development for the Clerk and councillors.

Encourage development for Councillors and committees in line with the "Good Councillor’s Guide".

Maintain the Parish’s Rural Character

AIM:To invest in maintaining, improving and developing facilities and assets to ensure that we continue to be a great place to live, work and enjoy.

Objectives

Produce a Village Plan. Consider whether we need a Neighbourhood Plan. Carry out a survey to identify what is important to our Parishioners regarding areas within the Parish for improvement or development.

Identify housing needs.

Keep the Villages clean and tidy.

Ensure the Flood Action Group review the maintenance of the River Lavant and funding opportunities.

Work with WSCC to keep pavements clear and accessible.

Consider improving signs within the Villages.

Continue communicating with The Weald and Downland Museum.

Continue communicating with Goodwood Estate.

Improve Road Safety

AIM: To ensure our villages are a safe place to live and work.

Objectives

Support STAG with solving/researching methods of traffic calming.

Keep roads and paths clear of vegetation, working with WSCC and CDC.

Liaising with Highways on routine maintenance matters,

Seek a solution to the parking problem at the School and Village Hall.

Manage the Council’s Assets

AIM:To maintain our assets.

Maintain the Playground.

Maintain the pond, using advice from The Sussex Wildlife Trust.

Maintain the emergency equipment,

Maintain general waste bins and dog poo bins.

Maintain the The Jubilee Garden.

Engaging with the Community

AIM:To engage with all sections of the community through a variety of appropriate and effective channels of communication in order to build a strong sense of community and a culture of delivering services in partnership with WSCC and CDC.

Objectives:

Keep the Parishioners informed and updated on a regular basis about initiatives being undertaken by the Parish Council and its partners.

Explore appropriate and frequent methods of communicating with all sections of the community.

Research the needs of the community and encourage feed-back and participation.

Improve accessibility to Parish Councillors through engagement with the community.

Engage with the youth of our Parish with regard to the provision of services for younger residents.

Ensure we support the Youth Club.

Research the needs of older residents ensuring the services we provide assist in making our community more inclusive.

Ensure all residents with any disability are able to access our services and facilities.

Organise events to bring the community together.

Operations Plan