Elections - the next Parish Council elections are due to take place in May 2023.

You can find out information about elections locally on the District Council's website.

Elections and Voting - North East Derbyshire District Council (ne-derbyshire.gov.uk)

Or via the Local Government Association's website.

Pre-election period

The pre-election period, previously known as purdah, is the time between an election is announced and the date the election is held.

Central and local government are subject to certain restrictions on political activity during the run up to an election.

Find out what you need to know about publicity during the pre-election period on the LGA website.

https://www.local.gov.uk/our-support/guidance-and-resources/pre-election-period

Parish Council Meetings

A Parish Council in England must hold not less than four meetings in each year, one of which must be the Annual Parish Council Meeting, which has to take place every year in May.

Wingerworth Parish Council meet 11 times a year, currently on the second Thursday of each month (with the exception of August) at 7:00pm.

ANNUAL PARISH COUNCIL MEETING – At the Annual Parish Council Meeting a new chair person must be nominated. A vice-chairman may be nominated also and appointments to committees made. In an election year the Annual Parish Council Meeting must take place on the day when councillors take office, or within 14 days thereafter.

The Agenda sets out the business of each meeting. The Clerk must display a signed agenda, in a public place, at least 3 clear days before an ordinary meeting and send a copy to all members of the council.

The purpose of an agenda is for councillors and the public to know what issues will be discussed and voted on. A council cannot lawfully make decisions on anything that is not on the agenda.

Place of meeting
Parish council meetings often take place in a community venue, such as a Village Hall or school room. Meetings must not take place in licensed premises unless no other room is available free of charge or at a reasonable rate. It is not advisable to meet in a private home – it may deter members of the public from attending or may not be large enough to house public and press numbers.

Attendance at meetings

In order for meetings to be quorate one third of council members, or 3, which ever is greater, must be present.
Attendance and apologies, with reasons for absence, must be recorded.
A councillor is disqualified if they do not attend a meeting in 6 months and their long-term absence has not been agreed upon by a full parish council meeting.
If a councillor is late or leaves early, a record must be made as this could affect quorum, etc.
Parish council meetings must be open to the public and press. However, they may be excluded for part of the meeting if the council resolves that publicity would be prejudicial to the public interest, or for other special reasons stated in the resolution.

Decision making
All matters coming before a council must be decided upon by a majority of councillors present and voting. Each councillor has one vote and must vote in person. (Councillors who have been disqualified by declaring a prejudicial interest will not vote). In addition the chair has the casting vote if it is required.

Minutes
Minutes must be kept of all proceedings of a council meeting. They should be short and concise. The pages must be numbered and after they have been approved, signed by the Chair. Minutes are only legal evidence after they have been signed. The agenda and the minutes must tally up. Each resolution must be either Resolved/Approved, Rejected, Deferred or Actioned.

More information about parish council meetings can be found in the following publications,

Local Councils Explained by Meera Tharmarajah.

Arnold Baker on Local Council Administration – by Paul Clayden