A parish council is a local authority that makes decisions on behalf of the people in the parish. It is the level government closest to the community, with the district authority (North East Derbyshire District Council) above it in the local Government hierarchy.
Stretton Parish Council has six Councillors who stand for election every four years.
The duties and functions of the Council are many and varied. It meets bi-monthly and considers planning applications and any other matters important to local residents, North East Derbyshire District Council, Derbyshire County Council and, at times, central government.
All meetings are open to the public and there is always a public speaking agenda item at which members of the public can raise concerns and ask questions. There is also an annual meeting which all parishioners are invited to attend. All meetings are advertised on the council notice boards. Residents can bring to the attention of the parish council anything that concerns them, either directly or though the clerk. If matters raised are not the responsibility of the council, the clerk can bring them to the attention of the proper authority.
As Stretton Parish Council is the authority closest to the people, it is invariably the first place people will contact with concerns or ideas. For this reason the Council is a vital part of any community. Stretton Parish Council has a wide range of powers which essentially related to local matters, such as looking after community buildings, open space, allotments, play areas, street lighting, bus shelters, car parks and much more. The council also has the power to raise money through taxation, the precept. The precept is the parish council’s share of the council tax. The precept demand goes to the billing authority, the district council, which collects the tax for the parish council.