Noticeboards
Because the village is rather 'long and thin' it has four noticeboards, three of which are unlocked and allow general access for anyone to post a notice.The noticeboards can be found at;
The Sands (at the junction with Hurst Lane) – unlocked
The Social Club (in Smithy Lane) – half unlocked
The Centre of the Village (between The Manor and Church Lane) – unlocked
Free Trade (just before the Triangle and opposite Nursery Barns) – unlocked
The Clerk looks after the noticeboards – feel free to put up your own notices but, please, do keep the boards tidy in appearance, and do not cover any existing notices that are still 'in date'. ('Out of date' notices are 'fair game').
About us
The Parish Council
Woodborough Parish Council is the first tier of local government, and is the closest to the residents of Woodborough. Since the abolition of District Councils in Wiltshire (2009), it liaises with its unitary council, Wiltshire Council, directly on some matters, and indirectly through the Pewsey Area Board (and Community Area Transport Group) on other matters.
The Electorate
The parish qualifies as a 'small parish' and has;
128 individual dwellings
251 persons on the electoral role (as at April 2019)
Funding
Parish Council funding comes in the form of a precept ordered from Wiltshire Council. The parish council has an annual budget meeting (usually in December) from which the money necessary for the following financial year (the precept) is agreed. The financial year runs from the 1st of April until the 31st of March the following year. It is considered prudent to hold some funds in reserve. The council is audited annually by an independent internal auditor, and scrutinised by an external auditor. Full disclosure of the council’s financial affairs can be found on its website in the section on 'Statutory Documents'.
Woodborough has seven councillors who are elected every 4 years; these elections are administered by Wiltshire Council. In the event that there are fewer candidates than seats, a Parish Council may co-opt additional member(s). The council employs one officer only – the Clerk to the Council. Any eligible person wishing to become a councillor should contact the Clerk.
Members, Roles and Functions
You can find the up-to-date list of Council Members and their roles at the List of Members document and there is also a list of individual Councillor's declared interests registered with Wiltshire Council.
Meetings
Parish Council meetings are held about once every six weeks in the Parish Room, usually on a Thursday evening at 7.00pm. In summer, there may well be an eight week period between meetings. Very occasionally, it is necessary to call an urgent meeting and it may only be possible to publish the agenda on this website. Again, occasionally, it may be necessary to make a decision on a planning item, or approve an item of expenditure that falls outside the Financial Regulations, before the date of the next meeting. Assuming that such decisions are not likely to be controversial the council has decided that it may take a vote by email.
Agendas
The agenda will be published by the Clerk on this website a clear three days before the meeting, and a hard copy will be place on at least the Central Noticeboard and on the noticeboard in the vestibule to the church of St Mary Magdalene. Any questions regarding the agenda must be addressed to the Clerk in writing/email, but this must be done before midday on the day prior to the meeting.
Minutes
The draft minutes of a meeting are generally available within a week of the meeting and, once the draft is agreed by councillors by email, they will be posted on this website and in the vestibule to the Church of St Mary Magdalene. They will remain in draft format until they have been agreed formally and signed by the Chairman at the next meeting.
Annual Meeting of the Council
This is the meeting at which the Chairman and Vice Chairman are elected for the next twelve months. It is a formal meeting and is quite separate from the Annual Parish Meeting.
This meeting is generally held in May, although (if it is not a year in which council elections are held, when the rules on timing are slightly stricter) it may also sometimes be held in June.
Annual Parish Meeting
The parish council has a statutory duty to hold an Annual Parish Meeting. It is Woodborough's habit to hold this meeting on the same evening as the Annual Meeting of the Council, and just before it. The conduct of this meeting is far less formal than a council meeting, and contains reports from the local School, the Neighbourhood Policing Team, and any other local organisation wishing to update residents. There may also be a guest speaker. In order to avoid any doubt over how this meeting is to be conducted, and to preserve everyone's right to be heard in open forum, the normal rules of debate, as laid down in the council's Standing Orders, will be applied. There will usually be a 20 to 30 minute interval between the end of the Annual Parish Meeting and the start of the Annual Meeting of the Council.
Woodborough Road Safety Group (WRSG)
The WRSG is a small, informal group independent of any other organisation. Typically, it comprises of two governors or parents from the School, two parish councillors, and up to two villagers. Its primary purpose is to look at the road safety problems in the village, and specifically in the area of the School, and to examine both short and long term strategic solutions in consultation with the School, the parish council, and several departments within Wiltshire Council. Its secondary purpose is to lobby for appropriate solutions to be implemented. More information on this group can be obtained from John Brewin by email.