Annual Village Meetings

The Annual Residents Meeting or Annual Assembly of Electors, in legal terms, is a quite separate body from the Parish Council, but it is invariably the Parish Council that arranges it.  Its decisions are not binding on the Parish Council, although the Parish Council does take heed of what is said at the meeting.

The Annual Residents Meeting is a legacy from the Middle Ages, when Local Councils did not exist, and all local decision making was carried out by meetings of the whole community, taking place in the church vestry.

In Peasedown St John, this meeting is referred to as the Annual Village Meeting.  

This Meeting is open to all electors of the Parish, who have the right not only to attend but also to speak on any matter of local interest [in Peasedown this is done via questions submitted in advance of or at the meeting - see details below*]. This is in contrast to a Council meeting, where electors who are not Councillors have no automatic right to speak.  Peasedown St John Parish Council does however, have a set time before every Council meeting when electors can raise matters of concern.

The Annual Village Meeting must be held each year between March 1st and June 1st.

The minutes of this meeting can only be approved by the next Annual Village Meeting which will, of course, not be held until the following year. It is however, good practice to bring the draft minutes of the Annual Village Meeting to the next convenient meeting of the Parish Council, since otherwise matters are unlikely to get progressed.

Notice is hereby given that:

The Annual Assembly of Peasedown St. John Parish will be held

AGENDA

1. Welcome - Cllr. Jonathan Rich (Chair of Parish Council)

2. Apologies.

3. To receive the minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on Tuesday 29^th March 2022.

4. Report from the Leadership Team of Peasedown St John Primary School.

5. Report from a representative of the Avon & Somerset Constabulary – P.C.S.O. Tony McIntosh.

6. Report from the Parks and Green Spaces Team from B&NES Council about the rewilding of verges in Peasedown St John – Paul Pearce and Mali Kedward.

7. Annual Peppercorn Ceremony for the rent of Beacon Hall & Field.

8. Report from Peasedown St. John Parish Council Chair and Chairs of Standing Committees

a. Cemetery Committee – Cllr. Audrey Gillard-Sprake

b. Finance & Amenities Committee to include a statement on the un-audited Parish Council accounts for year ending 31 March 2023 – Cllr. Andy Larcombe

c. Personnel Committee – Cllr. Simon Kidd

d. Planning Committee – Cllr. Kathy Thomas

e. Full Council/General – Cllr. Jonathan Rich

15-minute break during which light refreshments will be provided

9. Questions for the Chair*

10. Brief reports from the following organisations providing feedback on how their 2022/23 Community Grant awards were spent (subject to confirmation):

a. Bath Allstarz – Transport to Cheerleading Competition

b. Braysdown Allotments Committee – Allotments BBQ

c. Bath Area Play Project – Summer Holiday Fun Day

d. Mini Police – Coach trip to Dog and Horse Police Unit

e. Peasedown Cricket Club – Fireworks Display

f. Peasedown Social & Wellbeing Group – Creative courses & craft supplies

g. Peasedown St John Residents’ Association – Games and equipment for events

h. Peasedown St John Scout Group – Shelving for garage and camping & flag carrying equipment

i. Peasedown St John WI – Pop up banners for events

j. Swan Advice Network – Running Costs for Community Transport for Residents

Cllr. Jonathan Rich
Chair of Peasedown St. John Parish Council
15^th March 2023

*The Parish Meeting is an opportunity for the electorate of the Parish of Peasedown St. John (covering Peasedown St. John, Braysdown, Carlingcott and Woodborough) to raise any matters of concern to them that relates to their local community. Due to time limitations at the meeting, we are requesting written notice of any matters to be raised by 24^th March 2022. Questions or matters not submitted in advance may not be answered at the meeting; but a written response will be sent to the raiser afterwards. To submit questions or if you have any queries, please contact the Clerk to the Parish Council (contact details above).

The Annual Village Meeting, scheduled to be held on 31st March 2020, was cancelled due to Coronavirus restrictions preventing group gatherings, this was in accordance with Statutory Instrument 2020 No. 392.