Local Parish Councils
Parish Councils are the most local tier of local democracy. Their responsibilities vary, but often include maintaining local public spaces and play areas, influencing planning and other decisions made by North Yorkshire Council, helping local groups, and generally working in the interests of the locality.
A Bit About How it Works
North Yorkshire Council is responsible for all the big stuff – Housing, Education, Social Services, Highways, Refuse and so on. Local Councillors are elected and they meet and make decisions. They are paid an allowance, and represent the interests of their local constituents in the decisions they make about services and budgets. Council departmental employees make it all happen. The cost of running North Yorkshire Council services is funded from a mixture of government grants, charges for things like parking and your Council Tax, which may vary according to how much the Council needs. In addition, North Yorkshire now has an elected Mayor who has further special powers.
Meanwhile, at a very local level, Parish Councillors are elected to represent the interest of their local constituents – your parish or village. They are democratically elected, unpaid representatives who meet monthly to discuss decisions about their remit. All their meetings are minuted and open to members of the public. A Parish Council’s budget for the work it undertakes is usually raised from Council Tax. Typically, a small portion of your Council Tax is ringfenced, and directed back into your community for your Parish Council to spend- this is called a Parish Precept. Parish Councils usually employ a Parish Clerk, who administers the Council’s decisions.
You can find out more about local democracy on the North Yorkshire Council website.
Below you’ll find information about Parish Councils in Mashamshire.
Masham Parish Council
In addition to the usual Parish Council responsibilities, Masham Parish Council organises the Masham Country Market twice weekly. They provide the electric charging points on the Market Square and generate income from the Honesty Box parking.
Masham Parish Council do not currently raise money via a Precept because they have income from the parking and market rents. So if you want more money spent on Masham, please contribute to the Honesty Box and make sure you support the Market!
Council meetings take place on the first Monday of the month at 7:00pm at Masham Town Hall.
Chairman: Cllr Neil Pickard
Vice-chairman: Cllr Ian Johnson
Cllr Colin Barker
Cllr Rosemary Blades
Cllr John Ellis
Cllr James Gregg
Cllr Flo Grainger
Cllr Ben Rodney
Cllr Jane Place
Cllr Peter Weatherill
Cllr Robert Greensit
Cllr Valerie Broadley
Clerk: David Scurrah
Contact Details:
Email: mashamparishclerk@gmail.com
Phone: 01765 680205
Office hours – Wednesdays 10am to 3pm
Masham Parish Council is based at Masham Community Office and can be found at the Community office address below.
MASHAMSHIRE PARISH COUNCIL SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS
Annual General Meeting
Held in May each year on the same day as the monthly meeting.
Annual Parish Meeting
Held in May each year on the same day as the monthly meeting.
Monthly Parish Meeting
Held on the first Monday of each month, except where there is a public holiday, in which case the meeting is held on the following Monday.
Meeting Notices
The agenda for all forthcoming council meetings will be available for members of the public to view (normally) no later than 3 working days prior to the meeting, at the following locations:
- Masham Community Office – displayed on the Council notice board inside
- Council notice board in the entrance to the Town Hall (when access allows)
- Council notice board on Silver Street
The minutes of all council meeting will be available for members of the public to view (normally) no later than 2 weeks after the meeting, on the Council notice board inside Masham Community Office.
Minutes are also sent to the Stray Ferret, Darlington & Stockton Times and Ripon Gazette, who may choose to reprint them in part or in total.
Masham Parish Council WebsiteGrewelthorpe Parish Council
Cllr Carl Harrison (Chair)
Cllr Alan Hodges (Vice-Chair)
Cllr Sarah Dawson
Christine Stelling
Edward Threapleton
Contact Details:
Grewelthorpe Parish Council Clerk
email: clerk@grewelthorpe-pc.org.uk
Grewelthorpe Village Hall
Grewelthorpe Parish Council Website
Fearby, Healey & District Parish Council
Chair: Cllr Keith Marshall
Clerk: Alan Greensit
Contact Details
email fearbypc@gmail.com
Fearby Parish Council WebsiteWell Parish Council
Chair: Cllr Janet Ruth Bates
Vice Chair: Cllr Harry Sampson
Cllr Mark Lancester
Cllr Stephen Horner
Cllr David Anthony Webster
Snape With Thorp Parish Council
Chair: John Duck
Richard Poole
Liz Watson
Colin Hodges
Sara Pringle
Contact Details:
clerk@snapewiththorp.co.uk
Tanfield Parish Council
Chair: David Dumbleton
Deputy Chair: Peter Hull
Cllr Judi Horner
Cllr Tony Mainprize
Cllr Mark Hilton
Contact Details:
Contact the Parish Council via the website below.