The Council

About Long Ashton Parish Council

 

Long Ashton Parish Council was established in 1894 and so is one of the longest established Parish Councils in the country. 

 

The Council consists of 21 Councillors who are all volunteers and are elected for a four year term of office. The Council employs a part time Clerk to implement policy decisions. Parish Councils are the lowest tier of local government and are not connected with any church.

 

Council Services

 

The Parish Council protects and promotes our community and also provides local services: 

¨        The burial ground and closed churchyard at All Saints Church

¨        The Village Hall, Playground and Recreation Ground at Keedwell Hill *

¨        Birdwell Recreation Ground

¨        Bus shelters

¨        Footpaths and bridleways

¨        Roadside verges

¨        Litter and dog bins

¨        Seats

 

 

*Long Ashton Community Association (a registered charity) manages the Keedwell Hill complex and receives an annual grant from the Parish Council for this purpose.

*Long Ashton Millennium Project (LAMPRO) was set up to upgrade and redevelop the Village Hall complex and has carried out major improvements in recent years, with substantial support from the Parish Council. Its work continues.

The Parish Council is responsible for the preparation of its annual budget, control of its finances and setting the level of precept. The council tax for Long Ashton (the Parish Precept) is collected by North Somerset District Council    http://www.n-somerset.gov.ukon behalf of the Parish Council and is approximately £88,000. 
 

Protecting the village
 

As well as these statutory services, the Parish Council represents the views of the residents. We are consulted about all planning applications and make our recommendations to North Somerset Council. We are always interested to receive a copy of your comments on any planning application, although these should also be made directly to North Somerset Council in every case.

 

We are consulted on a wide variety of topics that affect the village, such as:

 

§         health services                  

§         traffic and transport                                    

§         planning guidance

§         environmental concerns     

§         North Somerset Council strategic plans       

§         Bristol Airport

 

There have been a number of community safety initiatives encouraged by the Parish Council, to which you contribute through your Council Tax, for example: lighting on the Rec, the zebra crossing outside Local Plus, CCTV at the Village Hall, the Youth Shelter, traffic calming measures and a Community Safety questionnaire.

 

Promoting the village

 

Of particular importance is our role in promoting the village and its organisations. Long Ashton and Leigh Woods are thriving communities and we want to be sure that all residents know what is available. We publish a newsletter 3 times a year and this is delivered free to every household.

 

If you have any information which you think will be helpful to the rest of the village, please send your copy to the Parish Clerk. The deadlines are 1st February, 1st June and 1st October each year. We are also glad to receive photographs for the front cover.

 

The Village Directory is an invaluable list of clubs and organisations in Long Ashton. The printing costs are met by the Parish Council.

 

We have encouraged initiatives to make Long Ashton look more attractive, including the bank at Arch Close and information boards at each end of the village. Do you have any more ideas that we could consider?

 

More information?

 

At the grass roots level of local government, it is vital that the community understands and supports our Parish Council. We hope this website is useful for you to know what your Parish Council does. If you would like any more information or you would be interested in joining the Parish Council when a vacancy occurs, please contact the Parish Clerk mailto:clerk@longashtonparishcouncil.com.  

Updated 25/05/06