Services
About the Council
The Parish Council has an important role to play in village life
Parish Responsibilities
The Parish Council is responsible for a variety of services around the village. These include most of the street lighting away from the main roads, litter and dog waste bins, the recreation ground and its play equipment, war memorial and gardens, bus shelters and some of the open spaces together with seats and benches, the village sign and other small installations. It provides financial support for local amenities including the Sports Ground and those village and local organisations who bring benefit to Dersingham, as well as a grant towards grasscutting in St Nicholas churchyard.
Informing the Village
The Council does its best to inform the village by maintaining various notice boards exclusively for official local information and a larger board for the village’s own notices. It publishes “Village Voice” magazine every two months and this is delivered to every home in Dersingham and also has an international following with ex-pats. “Village Voice” and its spin off “Village Voice Live” tend to make a surplus which is put to good use about the village.
Our Policies
The Council is required by law to have a policy on many varied issues. Each of those policies is described in a separate document which can be read on this website or on request at the Parish Office. The link below will take you to the Policy Documents page.
Parish Council Meetings
Meetings of the Full Council are generally held on Mondays, once a month, and these together with the Annual General Meeting and Annual Parish Meeting are open to any resident of Dersingham to attend. Meeting dates can be found in the Calendar on this website. Agendas for these meetings, and other notices, are posted on boards located at Dersingham Library, Thaxters car park, Co-op Supermarket car park, Lynn Road opposite the Co-op, and in the window of the Parish Office at Dersingham Village Centre. They, and other documents such as minutes of meetings, are also available to read from the links below.
Planning Applications
Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council are the planning authority for this area and are responsible for making decisions on Planning Applications as well as preparing the local plan. They are required to consult the Parish Council on planning applications within the village. It is the responsibility of the Parish Council to consider these applications and make any objective comments to the Borough to help them in reaching their decision.
The Parish Council has set up a Planning Committee to look at the applications and to consider other planning issues that affect the village. The Committee consider each application in detail and currently meet once a month to agree their recommendations to the Full Council. The formal response to the Borough is agreed by the Full Council at their monthly meeting.
If villagers have any concerns about a Planning Application they should make their views known directly to the Borough and there is a link to the Borough Planning website below. If, however you want the Parish Council to take your views into account please email the Parish Clerk as soon as possible. The Planning Committee meetings are open to the public and villagers may address the committee on any items on the agenda. Whilst you cannot take part in the discussion any views expressed will be carefully considered. Occasionally due to tight timescales imposed by the Borough Council planning applications may only be considered at the monthly Parish Council meeting. The dates of the Planning Committee Meetings and Agendas are published on this website.
If you have any queries regarding any planning application, please contact the Parish Clerk.
How does the Parish Council work?
The work of the Parish Council is broken down for small committees to consider and then, after this detailed work is done, their recommendations come back to the full Council for approval. Sometimes the committee has delegated powers and can therefore get on with tasks immediately. Parishioners can speak to Councillors or the Parish Clerk about matters of concern and, if it’s not a Parish matter, the problem will be directed to those responsible if at all possible.
How is the Parish Council financed?
The main income of the Council is from a share of the Council Tax. Income is also derived from rent and bank interest. The Council also receives occasional donations and legacies, which are allocated to specific projects in accordance with the donor’s wishes.
Councillors Interests
Do councillors have an interest in matters being discussed? Is everything fair and above board? Parish councillors are required to declare any interests that might affect their impatiality. The Register of Interests is kept by the Borough Council and you can find a link to it below.
REGISTER OF INTERESTS OF PARISH COUNCILLORS
Can I become a Councillor?
Yes you can. If there is no vacancy when you apply there will be a waiting list for you to go on. Councillors do leave from time to time and it is good to have people wanting to join. Just let the Parish Clerk have a note of your interest.