QUALITY PARISH COUNCILS BECOME PATHFINDERS
FOR DELIVERY OF SERVICES IN MALVERN HILLS
WORCESTERSHIRE COUNTY ASSOCIATION OF LOCAL COUNCILS
141 Church Street, Malvern, Worcestershire WR14 2AN
Tel/Fax: 01684 891825/299
Email: pat@worcscalc.org.uk
Executive Officer: Mrs Pat Edwards
NEWS 20 January 2007
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Worcestershire CALC has facilitated an agreement between Malvern Hills District Council and three Quality Parish Councils in Malvern Hills District – Hanley Castle, Kempsey and Martley –
whereby Quality Councils will become pathfinders for delivering local services in partnership with the District Council.
The first two services being piloted in this Pathfinder scheme are:
1. LITTER PICKING
The Quality Councils will contract with Malvern Hills District Council to extend the successful Parish Lengthsman’s scheme (delivering a County Council service) to include litter picking (a District Council service) resulting in a truly joined up three-tier scheme.
FUNDING
Parish and District will share the cost of this enhanced service which will deliver even more environmental benefits in these Quality parishes.
2. WEB-BASED PLANNING CONSULTATION
Malvern Hills District Council must consult with individual Parish Councils on planning applications within their parishes, currently undertaken by a deal of paper being dispatched by post. Under this scheme, the three Quality Councils will be e-enabled via laptop and multimedia projector to project plans on to a screen/wall at Parish Council meetings, and to communicate via the web with planning officers in a totally paperless way.
FUNDING
Worcestershire CALC has identified special funding towards the cost of the IT equipment for this pilot scheme: ie laptop, multi-media projector, screen & broadband connection to a public meeting place. The three Quality Councils are being invited to bid by 1st March 2007.
CALC has already brokered a similar scheme in Wyre Forest District Council.
CONTACTS
CALC: Pat Edwards, Executive Officer, Tel 01684 891825, email pat@worcscalc.org.ouk
MALVERN HILLS: Kevin Douglas, Strategic Director, Tel 01684 862209, email Kevin.Douglas@MalvernHills.gov.uk
HANLEY CASTLE: Ann Canham, Clerk, Tel 01684 310366 , email ann@hancaspc.demon.co.uk
KEMPSEY: Andrea Halford, Clerk, Tel 01905 828183 , email Kempseyparishcouncil@btinternet.com
MARTLEY: Tom Pearsall, Clerk, Tel 01886 888256 , email clerk@martley.org
WORCESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL: Ros Stinton, rstinton@worcestershire.go.uk
Under the Quality Parish scheme Parish Councils must satisfy seven tests including qualified Clerk, electoral mandate, conduct, audit and evidence of engagement with their communities. There are nine Quality Parish Councils in the county, with more in the pipeline.
Applications are accredited by a county panel appointed by the Secretary of State, with an independent Chairman.
For more details visit http://www.worcscalc.org.uk/developing_your_council/quality_parish_status/
Motivating and Informing Local Councils in Worcestershire
Visit www.worcscalc.org.uk for information about Parish and Town Councils and Worcestershire CALC
In a further development of electronic communication for the first tier of government, the county Hub will host websites for all 151 Parish and Town Councils in Worcestershire FREE OF CHARGE
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JFL