Worthington Parish Council
Worthington Parish council has five councillors.
The council meets monthly to discuss an agenda which can include a wide variety of items from planning applications, to local events, issues with footpaths or playing fields for example.
The parish council also hosts an annual parish meeting which all parishioners are invited to. This is usually (but not always) held in tandem with the May parish council meeting.
Meetings are notified on at least one of the parish notice boards. Two are located in Newbold Coleorton (Henry Dane Way play area and Ashby Road by the bus stop), one in Worthington (by the post office) and one in Griffydam (outside of the school). The primary means of communication is on this website.
The location of the meeting may vary but it will be notified on the agenda for that meeting. As Worthington parish includes Newbold Coleorton, Worthington, Griffydam and part of Coleorton, the aim is to move the meetings around the parish as often as we can. Typically the meetings will be at Newbold Coleorton school, St. Matthew’s Church in Worthington or Griffydam school.
The council is obliged to give three days’ clear notice of a meeting, not including Sundays and bank holidays. The agenda for the next meeting and also previous meetings’ minutes will be published on this website. Financial and regulatory documents will also be available on the website.
Parishioners can bring to the attention of the council anything that concerns them, either directly or through the clerk in the parish of Worthington clerk@worthington-pc.gov.uk
Sometimes parishioners will raise issues that are not the responsibility of the parish council; in that situation, the clerk can liaise with the proper authority, usually the district council, county council or police for example, or can point the parishioner to the correct authority.
Whilst the council is delighted to see parishioners attending meetings, please be aware that you cannot speak whilst normal business is conducted. However, at each meeting, there will be a period for public participation when the Chair invites attendees from the public to speak on items that may concern them or share ideas for improving the local community. The council can only make decisions on agenda items; it may be that your concerns / ideas are published on the following month’s agenda.
Following a meeting of the parish council, the minutes are posted on the website.
The councillors (who are typically all lay people from a wide variety of backgrounds) are supported by a parish clerk / responsible finance officer. This is a crucial administrative and advisory figure for a parish council, acting as the council’s primary support and responsible officer. The clerk’s duties include ensuring the council operates lawfully, managing finances, preparing for and recording meetings, and acting as a point of contact for the public. Essentially, the clerk is the council’s “right hand” in all administrative and legal matters.
Parish Council Meeting
The next meeting will be held on
4 September 2025 from 6:00pm
at St. Matthew's Church
What are Parish Councils?
A parish council is a statutory local authority established under the Local Government Act 1972. It is the first tier of government and therefore the level of government closest to the community, with the district and county authority above it in the hierarchy.
As the authority closest to the people, the parish council is usually the first port of call for parishioners to go to with their concerns or ideas. For this reason, it is a vital and integral part of the community. Topics that a parish council most commonly gets involved with are planning matters (the parish council is a statutory consultee), managing open spaces, environmental issues and campaigning for and delivering better services and facilities.
The parish council has limited powers to make some decisions but they do have the ability to negotiate with and influence other organisations that make final decisions. These organisations appreciate that the parish council is better placed to reflect how its community feels about issues of concern.
A parish council has the power to raise money through taxes, called the precept, and has the authority and responsibility to spend this money for the benefit of the community.
Attending and Raising Topics at Council Meetings
You are very welcome to attend council meetings and see what goes on as well as being able to make comments on any item on the agenda. If you wish to raise a topic for the agenda for a future meeting please email the Parish Clerk clerk@worthington-pc.gov.uk at least five days before the meeting.
Recording Meetings
The Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014 gives members of the public the right to report on Town Council and Committee meetings. “The Council” refers to Worthington Parish Council. Committees refers to any Committees formally set up by Worthington Parish Council.
Unless the Council or Committee has resolved to go into confidential session anyone has a right to record by audio and/or visual means with the following caveats:-
It is courteous to advise the Council or Committee via the Clerk that recording will take place. The Council will afford reasonable facilities for the recording of the meeting within the constraints of the premises at which the meeting is held. No additional lighting or flash photography will be used except by agreement.
The person recording the meeting will be asked to cease recording if:
- There is excessive noise from moving or setting up equipment
- There are interruptions to the smooth running of the meeting (e.g. requests that a person repeats a statement for the purposes of the recording or the distraction of a the person(s) associated with the recording adding comments during the meeting)
The persons being recorded will be restricted to elected members and officers of the council unless non-members and officers have agreed. In the case of children or vulnerable persons agreement must be sought from the parent or guardian.
All recording must be overt – i.e. visible to anyone at the meeting. The Council is not liable for any actions of the person(s) recording that publicly identifies any member of the public or for any publication of the recording. Any persons recording the meeting are advised to obtain permission from members of the public present before publicising material that identifies members of the public.
Such rights as accorded in the legislation do not extend to recorded material being used out of sequence; in a way that it misinterprets the proceedings; in a manner that misinterprets the views of those speaking at the meeting.
Only the official signed minutes of the Council and its Committees will be recognised as the formal, statutory and legally binding record of the meeting.