The Parish consists of three Wards, Armathwaite, Calthwaite and Southwaite, each being represented by five elected members, making a total of fifteen Councillors. Also in attendance at meetings are two representatives from Eden District Council together with the Cumbria County Councillor for Hesket and Greystoke.
| Name | Telephone | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairperson | Elaine Martin | elainemartin1@live.com | 07511 844842 |
| Clerk | Amee Freeman / Lisa Beken | clerk@hesket.org.uk | 07522 939696 |
| Armathwaite Ward | Calthwaite Ward | Southwaite Ward | District & County Councillors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr J Dowes | Mrs O Bell | Mr N Dean | Mr T Wentworth-Waites (Cumbria County Council) |
| Mrs C Steel | Mrs J Porter | Mr J Rimmington | Mrs L Grisedale (Eden District Council) |
| Mr A Sillitto | Mr B Davidson | Mrs E Martin (Eden District Council) | |
| Mrs E Martin | |||
| Mr D Porter |
Councillors Register of Interest details can be found here
Meetings are held bi-monthly in Low Hesket Village Hall at 7.30 pm, normally on the second Tuesday of the Month beginning with the Annual Meeting in May. Members of the public are always welcome and can, with prior arrangement with the clerk, address the meeting for a maximum of five minutes.
The Parish Council is required to hold at least four meetings each year, which are open to the public. One of these meetings must be an Annual Meeting of the full Council.
Hesket Parish Council operate with the aim of improving the quality of life and the local environment for all residents.
Councillors are elected every four years from people living in, or just outside the Parish, or having business interests there. They are required under the Local Government Act 1972 and other statutes to perform certain duties and have powers which they can exercise at their discretion.
The Parish Council has certain powers and responsibilities under statute including, for example, the maintenance of community buildings. They employ a Parish Clerk to carry out these duties. Additionally, they also have the power to raise money (a precept) through the local Council Tax and have a duty to provide annual accounts.
Hesket Parish Council will:
- give views, on behalf of the community, on planning applications and other proposals that affect the parish.
- decide where money should be raised and spent for the benefit of the community.
- undertake projects and schemes that benefit local residents.
- work in partnership with other bodies to achieve benefits for the parish.
- alert relevant authorities to problems that arise or work that needs to be undertaken.
- help the other tiers of local government keep in touch with their local communities.
The Quality Parish Scheme was launched by the Government in 2003 with the aim of providing a benchmark minimum standard for parish councils across the country. To become accredited a Parish Council must meet 10 different criteria. More information about Parish Councils can be found on the Cumbria Association of Local Councils website at www.calc.org.uk