What does the Council do?

Parish Council Meetings are held at the Chailey Reading Room, Chailey Green, normally commencing at 7.30pm. Members of the public may attend and will be given an opportunity to make representations if they so wish.   Chailey Parish Council usually meets on the first and third Tuesday evenings of the month.  A listing of meeting dates can be found here.  As well as attending the regular Council meetings, members may also opt to represent the Council at meetings of other local bodies and committees.

The Council is funded by the ‘Precept’ which is included in householders’ council tax and which is set anew in each financial year. Members follow priorities established in the Parish Plan. Members are regulated by the Code of Conduct and the accounts are subject to inspection by the external auditors appointed by the Audit Commission.   All planning applications arising in the parish are reviewed by the Parish Council and comments are passed to Planning Services at Lewes District Council. The Parish Council is a major landowner within Chailey Common and is represented on the Chailey Common Management Committee. The Parish Council has direct responsibility for the running of the Reading Room, parish allotments and grazing fields and maintains various areas of common land and village green. The council owns the leasehold of Chailey Windmill which is managed in conjunction with ‘The Friends of Chailey Windmill’. The Council leases North Chailey Recreation Ground to Chailey Sports Club.   Councillors are consulted on a wide range of issues by various public sector, charitable and voluntary organisations. The Parish Council is in regular contact with ESCC Highways about speed management and road maintenance matters. The Parish Council supports local clubs and societies by way of grants and donations and contributes towards capital projects and running costs in community buildings.

1. The aim of the Parish Council is that grants and donations are allocated primarily for the benefit of the Chailey electorate. However, organisations serving both Chailey and neighbouring areas are also eligible to apply. The Council follows guidance issued by the National Association of Local Councils on spending under section 137 of the Local Government Act 1972.
2. The regulations governing allocations of grants and donations include the following condition: ‘A local authority shall not incur any expenditure unless the benefit accruing to their area or any part of it or to all or some of the inhabitants of their area will be commensurate with the expenditure to be incurred’. The use of ‘some’ in relation to the inhabitants means that the council cannot use the power to benefit a single individual. The use of ‘commensurate’ with regard to spending means that the council must not spend a disproportionately large amount on a very limited object or purpose.
3. Requests for grants and donations are considered once a year. The aim of having an annual review of requests is to ensure that all such requests are appraised on a consistent basis and that the outcome of applications is not affected by the stage in the financial year that an application is received and hence the level of funds remaining in the grants and donations budget. Only projects relating to a specific ‘one off’ local event are considered outside the annual review round.
4. The maximum amount which a council may spend under section 137 in any one year (i.e. from 1 April to the following 31 March) is restricted by the number of people on the parish electoral roll.
5. Each spending round has a deadline set annually, and requests received by the parish council office by this date will be considered at a meeting of Full Council. Grants are usually in the range of £100-£500 and applications from groups and organisations are assessed on their merits. Typically grants are awarded to help with recurring items of expenditure such as stationery, postage, printing, insurance, hire charges, kit, and small items of equipment which enable a group to function. Local clubs, societies and organisations are required to complete a Grant Application Form which is available on request to the parish office or which can be downloaded from this website.   Registered charities which provide services to, or which are of benefit to, the local community should apply in writing to the parish office and additional information may be requested. It is helpful if charities provide an indication of the number of Chailey parishioners who derive benefit from a charity’s services (details of named individuals are not sought but rather an estimate of the total number assisted in any one year and a brief explanation of the nature of that assistance). Note that contributions may be made to charities and bodies providing a public service on a non-profit making basis, but only in furtherance of their work in the United Kingdom. It is unlawful for a council to contribute to a charity or a public service body operating overseas, or to a fund established to help persons outside the UK

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