What Does Nursling & Rownhams Parish Council Do?

EVERY HOUSEHOLD in the Parish of Nursling & Rownhams contributes about £22 per year to the Parish Council Precept, which pays for the services that the Parish Council provides. Nursling & Rownhams Parish Council consists of 11 elected members, who are unpaid volunteers who elect not to take any payment. All are local residents.  There are no political affiliations on this Parish Council, and therefore no politics.  It is just a team of local residents working to look after our community.

The principal function of the Parish Council is to represent the interests of the local residents and to provide local facilities such as allotments, play areas, skate parks, parkland, woodlands and recreation grounds.  The Parish Council also provides flower tubs at the traffic lights, daffodils on the roundabouts, wildflower patches, dog bins on the recreation grounds, bus shelters and funds The Village News which is edited by independent editors. The Parish Council also liaises with Test Valley Borough Council through our two Borough Councillors and with Hampshire County Council through our County Councillors for matters related to them such as Highways, Planning, Refuse Collection and initiatives such as ‘Jobseekers’.

Much of the work of the Parish Council involves representing the interest of local residents in planning matters, which in this parish means protecting as much green space as possible from developers and maintaining the character of the village. Unfortunately there are several developers wanting to concrete over every green space we have, so the work is very time consuming.

The Parish Council also owns a large number of small pieces of public land which it plants and maintains for public amenity, and some 1000 mature trees. There is one council employee, the Clerk to the Parish Council. The Community Centre and Village Hall are run as charities by separate management committees comprising some Parish Councillors and other interested members of the public. Maintenance of Parish Council land is sub-contracted to Test Valley Borough Council, but monitored by the Parish Council. The Parish Council also uses other contractors such as tree surgeons, builders and legal representatives as necessary.

The Parish Council meets 10 times per year, and holds an annual general meeting. All meetings are open to the public. The Annual Parish Meeting, which is not a Parish Council meeting but is facilitated by the Parish Council, is specifically FOR the public, so they can be updated on the activities for the year, and to ask question of the presenters.  Representatives from a variety of companies and institutions are invited to speak at the Annual Parish Meeting.