The Council is funded by a precept on the Council Tax.    It should be noted that Parish Councils act within secular parishes, quite separate from any local ecclesiastic parish.  Before 1895, a degree of  local government was exercised within ecclesiastic parishes, which provided constables, aid to the poor etc.  (So far I have not established what functions were exercised by ecclesiastic parish in Guilden Sutton)

Guilden Sutton's Parish Councillors have no declared political allegiance, and work voluntarily, and in their own time.  Councillors are elected for a term of four years.  The Council employs a Parish Clerk to implement its decisions.

The following list is neither a formal, nor an exhaustive list of the areas of activity of our Parish Council, but briefly describes a sample of its activities.   If you want to observe the Council proceedings, meetings are open, and the public are always welcome to attend without notice.  For dates of meetings, click here. 

Street cleaning:    The council employs a contract lengthsman to clean various parts of our village for two hours per week throughout the year.  Due to unsociable behaviour by a few, this is sometimes barely adequate for the task.  By contacting the City Council, we are able to get serious problems remedied on a one-off basis.   On several occasions the Council has arranged litter picking sessions on Saturday mornings, where bags, tabards and litter picking tools have been provided.   

Litter bins: The Council has arranged for the installation and emptying of several litter bins in the village

Public seats:  Seats have been installed in several locations around the village.

Doggy bins/Poop scoops: The council has arranged for the provision of doggy bins, and for them to be emptied regularly.  Unfortunately not all dogs use them!

Landscaping: For several years the Council has purchased bulbs which Councillors have planted in verges around the village.  It also monitors the effectiveness of grass cutting, endeavouring to keep the village tidy.  Fortunately many residents assist by maintaining and planting in the verges outside their homes.   This makes the environment nicer for all of us.

Footpaths: Guilden Sutton has a successful  Footpaths Group which is supported by the Council, and which has organized and worked on the network of footpaths within the built-up village, and in the rural area within our boundaries. 

Highways: Whenever the state of our roads becomes unsatisfactory, or street lights  malfunction, we contact the appropriate departments requesting action.   In recent years street lighting has been improved by the provision of lamps attached to electricity poles.   We also monitor the condition of hedges, domestic and agricultural.

Bus Co-ordination: The Council monitors the performance of local bus services, making representations when the service is unsatisfactory, and negotiates to obtain improved timetables.   The Council purchased bus shelters a few years ago, and has succeeded in encouraging the provision of  timetables by transport co-ordinators.

Children's play areas: The Council rents a field next to the old school in Guilden Sutton Lane as a sports field.  It maintains the grass and provides goalposts.  Additionally, it owns a small play area adjacent to the primary school where it has installed various items of play equipment for young children.

Planning: All Planning Applications for work in our village are sent to the Parish Council by the City Council Planning Service Department.  Each application is examined in detail by at least 2 Councillors who normally visit both the applicant and any residents who might be affected by the development.  Applications are then discussed in Council and if necessary observations are  made to the Planning Board Committee.

Communications: A monthly newsletter is distributed to residents.   In past years the Council has supported the production of Village History booklets and of a footpath map.  There are three Parish Council noticeboards.

Car Parking:  The Parish Council's car park, next to the church, was developed a few years ago.

Trees and Ponds: Councillors monitor the condition of ponds and landscape trees in the parish, notifying the appropriate authorities of any problems.

Website: This website has been set up by the Parish Council, but residents are free to contact our webmaster to arrange for the inclusion of anything appropriate for a village website.

In addition to the above, Councillors receive information and are consulted on a wide range of issues affecting the village, Chester and Cheshire.  Meetings are held with City and County Councillors to enlist their assistance in resolving issues, and representations are made formally or informally to assist any of our electorate.

We are members of a wide range of organisations to ensure that we are sufficiently   informed to perform our duties effectively.  This includes membership of the Cheshire Association of Town and Parish Councils which is particularly helpful in giving advice on legal issues; we have a member on the Committee of the Community Association, and a member is nominated as Minor Authority Governor of Guilden Sutton Primary School.  The links which our Parish Clerk maintains with the City and County Councils ensures that we are well informed of all opportunities of grants or other funds to assist with implementation of our plans.

The Parish Council is always willing to assist residents by providing information or where appropriate, by forwarding issues to appropriate authorities.

To send an email to the Parish Council, please click here