Parish Councils are the tier of local government closest to the people. We have the same powers as larger Town Councils and act within the same legislation.
Parish Councils are responsible for managing their own budget. We are financed through the precept, which is an amount of money calculated as an estimate for the coming financial year and collected as part of your Council Tax. This money is used to improve facilities and services within the Parish.
Talaton Parish Council is made up of a maximum of seven people voted into office at an election, by residents on the electoral roll of the Parish.
In the event of a subsequent resignation by a Councillor, a casual vacancy is posted and in this instance, an election will only be called if 10 registered voters ask for one in writing.
Our Clerk will follow all the mandatory procedures but if no election is forthcoming, we have the authority to co-opt a new member onto the council and this status is publicly displayed.
Every year the council must elect one councillor to be the Chair of the council.
MEETINGS
All meetings of the council MUST be open to the public and can only be held behind closed doors in limited exceptional circumstances. They are held in Talaton Parish Hall unless otherwise notified.
Members of the public may attend any meeting of the Parish Council and are allowed to participate in the 15-minute open forum.
Talaton Parish Council also host an informal Drop-in session, between 10.30am and 12 noon on a Saturday every quarter. Dates of each Drop-in will be published in advance via our notice boards, this website, The Calendar magazine, Talaton Talk Facebook page and also a road sign placed outside Talaton Parish Hall six days before the meeting.
The Drop-in sessions are not official meetings, therefore they are not recorded and minutes are not taken or published. The sessions are simply an opportunity for you to meet your Councillors and raise any issues or concerns you may have.
One of our legal obligations is to host this website. We hope you will enjoy using it and welcome your feedback by contacting the Clerk on:- clerk.talatonpc@btinternet.com
Another legal obligation is to host the Annual Parish Meeting. Ours is held in April and it gives all organisations and village groups the opportunity to give an account of their activities over the past twelve months. Members of the public are welcome to attend and complimentary refreshments are served. We look forward to meeting you!