Neighbourhood Plan Committee
Terms of Reference
The Parish Council has proposed the preparation of a Neighbourhood Plan for The Parish of Wembury. The plan will encompass Wembury Parish in its entirety and deal with issues that fall within its boundaries.
The Purpose of the Committee
The purpose of the group is to oversee the production of a community led Neighbourhood Plan for the Parish of Wembury. This will enable the community to actively influence land use and development, whilst safeguarding and enhancing what is valued within Wembury Parish. This undertaking will require a process of consultation with the community as a whole, including organisations, businesses and existing groups.
Consultation is to be undertaken by means of surveys and public meetings. Public meetings will be held at different locations within the parish. The group may also use questionnaires, websites, social media, email, pre-existing activity groups, the parish magazine and Wembury Parish Council noticeboards as needed.
The Objectives of the Committee
The objective of the group is to enable and steer the process, by which the necessary requirements can be met, in order to achieve the ultimate adoption of a Neighbourhood Plan as part of the wider statutory planning requirements.
Membership and Governance
A committee will form a core group drawn from councillors and also volunteers within the parish. The focus of the membership of the committee should be on providing a good cross section from the population and incorporating the skill mix necessary to guide the process.
The committee may be flexible and change over time, allowing people to step down or be included for their individual skills. The committee will also aim to include members from key organisations within the parish and have at least two members from Wembury Parish Council. The councillors will also be responsible for briefing the other council members at the monthly council meetings.
Although the committee will lead the consultations with the community, it may be that the core group will appoint working parties, to look in to specific information gathering and issues that arise. These could be drawn from people in the community, who have expressed an interest in being involved but do not wish to sit on the main committee. Individual members from the core group may also Chair, or be part of, these working parties.
The committee will be responsible for making recommendations to full council and keeping them up to date with progress at the next council meeting after a committee meeting or event. Council is ultimately responsible for the structure of the committee and how it is run, as well as proposing the policies for the Neighbourhood Plan which will be put to the community and then submitting that to South Hams District Council.
At all times the committee is answerable to the council, the Clerk and the Responsible Financial Officer. All actions directed by the council and all questions must be responded to within a timely manner and with full transparency.
Roles and Responsibilities of Individual Members
The Chair of the committee will be appointed by Wembury Parish Council. A Deputy Chair and Scribe will be appointed by the committee members. Other individual responsibilities will be allocated as issues and policies being to emerge. All members of the committee will work with the Chair to define the agenda, guide and facilitate the tasks undertaken and aid the completion of the Neighbourhood Plan.
Management of Declarations of Interest
The Chair, having published the agenda, and prior to starting the business of each meeting, will carry the responsibility to ensure that any members’ potential conflict of interest is identified and any action necessary taken.
Voting Arrangements
Resolutions will be proposed, seconded and voted on by a show of hands. The Chair will hold the deciding vote should the vote be tied. All discussion will be handled through the Chair to avoid conflict.
Reporting and Feedback
Advance notice for the dates of meetings will be posted on the council website, social media and notice boards by forwarding to the Clerk at least four working days before the meeting. Minutes will be recorded of any group meetings, consultations and workshops which may take place. These will be passed to the Clerk of Wembury Parish Council and be retained for public inspection, as well as being posted on the website. Members of the public will be encouraged to attend meetings.
Resources and Finance
All monies, bank accounts and financial expenses will be decided upon and administered by Wembury Parish Council.
Wembury Parish Council may choose to assign an amount that can be used for day-to-day expenses, that the committee can use without referral to the council. The items for which this can be used will be decided in advance by Wembury Parish Council. Any payment from this day-to-day amount will be undertaken by the staff of Wembury Parish Council and will require invoices (preferable) or receipts sent to the Responsible Financial Officer. Any invoice must state on it that it is for Wembury Parish Council. Invoices that do not contain this information will be refused and will need to be reissued.
The Responsible Financial Officer is responsible for applying for, managing, and documenting the use of all grants. All grants and funding applied for will be held ‘ring fenced’ by Wembury Parish Council for the sole purpose of the Neighbourhood Plan.
The Responsible Financial Officer will be responsible for submitting any reports related to the grants to the body who has given the grant but will require the committee to provide all evidence that is requested. The committee are also responsible for making sure that the grant conditions are complied with and responding to any queries or questions about the use of the grants from the Responsible Financial Officer, Clerk or the Council.
The committee should identify the need for funding and make recommendations in this regard to the Parish Council for approval and instruction of suitable action by the Responsible Financial Officer.
Monitoring and Review
All key decisions will be recommended by the Committee to the Parish Council who will decide what action to take. The definition of ‘key decisions’ will vary according to circumstances but will be decided upon by the Clerk upon receipt of information and recommendations by the committee.
The Chair of the committee is responsible for notifying the Clerk in good time (at least ten days before the next meeting) of the need for an agenda item for the Neighbourhood Plan. They will also need to supply information as to what needs to be decided upon and the background information around that agenda item. The Clerk will circulate the information to the full council with the agenda for the relevant meeting. The Clerk will also circulate the minutes of the Neighbourhood Plan committee.
Decisions by the Parish Council relating to the Neighbourhood Plan Committee will be recorded in the council minutes and circulated to the Chair, who will then disseminate the information to the committee.