Welcome to the section where you can find out all about the function and activities of your Parish Council.

.Please click on any of the links below to jump to the area you are interested in

.

Our Annual Public Parish Meeting in April of each year is an open forum, where residents of the Parish are invited to attend and listen to reports of each committees' activities and put forward items for discussion.  We would hope that any resident would feel welcome at a Parish Council meeting but would respect that the Council does have business to deal with during which time public debates are not permitted, however there is always a place on the agenda for public comment.  All Parish Council meetings are open to members of the public and press.

All the Parish Councillors have signed up to the new Standards Board for England Model Code of Conduct, which covers most aspects of interests and responsibilities. For any questions relating to the Model Code of Conduct please contact the Parish Clerk and/or The Standards Board for England, PO Box 36656, London, SE1 OWN. Telephone: (0845) 788181 or E-mail: enquiries@standardsboard.co.uk.

Parish Council Meetings

The Council meeting is held on the 4^th Thursday of each month.   It receives recommendations from each committee and decides whether to support the proposals, modify, postpone or send them back to committees for further consideration. Generally this does not apply to the Planning Committee which works more directly with the District Council Planning Department and has clear guidelines and deadlines to meet in the planning application process.

It approves the final precept submission to the District Council and the allocation of funds for Council projects, such as the computer extension to the West Moors Library, the purchase of the Petwyn Village Green and establishment of the Parish Office in the library car park.

Each Councillor undertakes a representative or active role on behalf of the Council, be it looking after the Archives; a School governor or the Council representative on the Memorial Hall Council Committee.   These representatives report back at each Council Meeting.   The Council also receives reports from our District and County Councillors on matters of interest to the village emanating from these forums.

All Parish Council meetings are open to the public and no notification of your attendance in advance is necessary.   You will receive a warm welcome from the Chairman and Councillors and there is an opportunity to address Council at the beginning of the meeting.

Planning Consultative Committee

The Planning Consultative Committee meets in the Fryers Field Pavilion every month when there are planning applications to be considered.   Plans for the committee review are usually available several days beforehand for public viewing in the Parish Office.  The Planning Consultative Committee does not have any powers to decide on a planning application, they present a view point of local opinions to the East Dorset District Council , who are the local planning authority and ultimately make the decision for each application, taking into account any further input from the public or other authorities.

 Environment Committee

This committee is responsible for the development, maintenance and use of the Fryer Field situated in the North of the village. The facilities include two regulation size football pitches, a small 5 a side pitch, a cricket pitch, the Multi Use Games Area, the children's play area , the Skatepark facility, the Pavilion and the car park.   There is a second children's play area adjacent to the Oakhurst First School in Shaftsbury Road. The Council is also responsible for the booking, safety and security arrangements for many of these facilities.   Two part time grounds staff are employed for maintenance of the Fryers Field facilities and the Cemetery.   The Council employs contractors to develop and renovate the facilities and equipment, to attain acceptable safety and usage standards.

The West Moors Cemetery is located on Priory Road in the East of the village.   The Parish Clerk maintains the records of burials and plots and receives requests for internments.   These are mainly transacted between local funeral directors and the Clerk.   The Cemetery rules and regulations are displayed in the Cemetery.   The grounds are maintained by the grounds staff.   Administration rests with the Environment Committee.   The tariffs for the cemetery are available in the Parish Office.

Any matters dealing with the road system in West Moors is of interest to this committee.   This includes the pavements and what we call the road "furniture".   For example, bench seating and some bus shelters are provided by the Council.   They also review and represent public concerns on speeding and road safety; street lighting and parking issues.   In many of these areas they require close co-operation with the County Council or District Council since they are responsible for road maintenance, parking and some paving, as well as cutting of grass verges. 

The committee advises the County Council on footpaths and rights of way issues as they impact on the village.   Finally, they execute plans for the Christmas lights.

Grass Cutting

We receive many comments about grass cutting in the village. The Parish Council is not responsible for all the open areas of the village. Roadside verges are cut by a contractor employed by the County Council. It is usual for verges to be cut four or five times a year. While we appreciate that this can sometimes make visibility difficult at times, particularly during a wet summer, there is nothing we can do about the timing of these cuts.

Finance & General Purposes Committee

The Council receives most of its finance from East Dorset District Council via the precept system.   The task of this Committee is to prepare the annual budget for the Parish Council from requests and recommendations made by the other committees and through Council decisions and submit these to the District Council for inclusion in the annual Council Tax bill paid by all residents.   During the year it then monitors expenditure and revenues through accounts prepared for each meeting by the Parish Clerk.   The committee develops financial aspects of the Council's contracts, including payment of salaries and allowances to employed staff.  

Under General Purposes, amongst other items, requests for small grants by West Moors organisations are reviewed and decided upon.

Parish Council Notices

Any items of interest to residents, along with agendas and other documents for public display are displayed on the three Parish notice boards of the village.   These are sited near Holly Court on Station Road; at the A31 end of Pinehurst Road on the grass verge in front of the shops and in Woolslope Road in the South of the village.   Other community notices may be placed there at the Parish Clerk's discretion and assuming space is available.   If you wish to display a notice for public viewing on these boards, please contact the Parish Clerk on 01202 861044 or e mail.

Parish Paths Warden

One of the active duties held by a Parish Councillor is that of the parish paths warden.   He/She is responsible for liaising between the path network users and County Council who are responsible for the upkeep of the paths. West Moors parish paths warden is Pete Holden. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please get in touch with him on 01202 891604.

Tree Preservation Liaison Officer

Similar to the Parish paths warden, we have a Tree Preservation liaison officer on the Council who liaises between concerned residents and the District Council Tree Protection Section officers.   She is Mrs M Hall    This Section is responsible for the administration of Tree Protection Orders (TPOs) for the East Dorset district.   If you have any problems with TPOs on your property; believe certain trees merit protecting or consider some trees or branches represent a safety hazard to the public, you may wish to get in touch with her on  01202 894147

Flood Events

The Parish Clerk acts as the Flood Warden for West Moors and is therefore issued with flood warnings by the Environment Agency.  A plan has been issued to deal with such events and can be found on this website by clicking   West Moors Flood Plan

Information available under the Freedom of Information Act model Publication Scheme

Please click here for details