BIRCHAM PARISH COUNCIL
Bircham Parish Council is the first tier of local government and is often the first point of contact for anyone concerned with a community issue. Bircham Parish Council has eleven members, who are elected to serve and represent the local community. The Council meets 8 times or so each year in the Bircham Social Club. Please visit the documents tab for details of meetings.
Meetings
The Council meets regularly on Wednesday at 7:30pm in Bircham Social Club. Notices of the meetings are posted on the local noticeboards, as well as on the documents section of the website.
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The meetings follow the same format and include:
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Opportunity for public question time
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Planning Applications to be considered
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Financial matters
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Current projects
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Council and its meetings are governed by Standing Orders and Financial Regulations which have been adopted to ensure proper governance and compliance with the law.
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Members of the public are very welcome to attend any of the meetings of Council, but are not permitted to take part in the debate. However, time set is aside for members of the public to raise issues they would like to bring to the attention of Councillors. Comments may be on any subject of concern to the Council, including items that are to be discussed later, or other issues entirely. In the latter case, however, the public are asked to bear in mind that legally the Council can only discuss items that have been advertised in the published agenda. Therefore, members of the public introducing new subjects may have to wait until the next meeting before the Council is able to debate or respond to the matter.
Councillors
Bircham Parish Council has 11 Councillors. If a vacancy occurs during the four years it will be filled either by a by-election or by co-option. Co-option is where one or more candidates put their name forward to the Council for consideration. Councillors give their time voluntarily and do not get paid. They are elected to represent the interests of the local community as a whole - Bircham Parish Council is a non-political council. Councillors abide by a Code of Conduct, they must also declare their pecuniary (financial) interests in the parish, details of which are kept on a Register by KL&WN Borough Council.
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​Councillor page under construction.
Parish Clerk
The Clerk is the ‘Proper Officer’ of the Council who is responsible for the smooth running of business. Bircham is a small parish so this is a part-time position. The Clerk is the first point of contact for the Council. Responsibility for implementing the decisions of the Council rests with the Clerk. The Clerk will give guidance where necessary and make recommendations but has no vote. The Clerk is also responsible for the management of the Council's finances.
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Bircham Parish Clerk - Simon Bower
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