Spooner Row Community Council was formally created on 1st April 2019 and represents the 3 rural communities of Spooner Row, Suton & Wattlefield.
The Council was formed when residents from the 3 communities came together under the auspice of a local government Community Governance Review to address a “democratic deficit” and establish a voice for their rural community.
The inaugural meeting of our Community Council took place on 16th May 2019, whereupon 7 local residents took up their seats as Councillors for the very first time.
What does a Community Council do?
A community council is the same as parish council in that they are the first level of local government and the closest to the community it serves. Spooner Row Community Council serves the three communities of Spooner Row, Suton and Wattlefield.
The Community Council consists of up to 7 residents, who give their time and effort freely for the benefit of the community. Members of the Council are normally elected to serve every 4 years.
The Council has the power to improve the quality of community life by spending money on things which, in their opinion, are in the interests of our community and its inhabitants.
Our activities fall into three main categories:
- representing the local community
- delivering services to meet local needs
- improving quality of life and community well being
Delivering local services, we provide the following
- the playing field
- litter bins
- dog bins
- public seating/benches
Members of the Council meet once a month to discuss, monitor and, most importantly, make decisions on matters concerning our community. Our Annual Meeting is held during May.
The Minutes from each meeting are produced shortly afterwards and published after being approved at the next Council Meeting, whereupon a copy will be placed on this website.
These Meetings are held at the Village Hall in Spooner Row. All meetings are open to the public. A ‘Public’ or ‘Open Forum’ time of approximately 15 minutes is set aside at the beginning of each meeting for this.
Agendas will be posted 3 working days prior to the meeting on this website and in each part of the council’s area. Spooner Row Village notice board located by the post box, opposite near the church. Suton notice board, The Street and Eleven Mile Lane besides the post box. Wattlefield notice board, besides the post box on Wattlefield Road near the junction to Guiler’s Lane.
Each year the councillors choose a Chairperson from amongst their number. There is also a Vice-Chairperson.
The Clerk is also the Responsible Financial Officer of the Council. We are required to provide a set of accounts at the end of each financial year, audited by an internal and an external auditor.
The Community Council received an objection to the 2023-24 Audit. The objections and findings are on a separate page the response is here and also accessible from the finance page.