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SATLEY PARISH COUNCIL

Welcome to the website for Satley Parish Council  (General Data Protection Regulations - Satley PC is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office and is developing policies to comply with the regulations. We only contact or identify living individuals who have given us their specific permission.)

AUDIT 2023 - The unadited documents are attached to the Finance pages. The original documents are currently being audited. Contact The Clerk if you wish to view the originals or have any queries. 1 June 2023

The aim of the Parish Council is to help ensure Satley and the immediate area remain a pleasant and safe place to live, work and visit. The Parish Council helps provide the facilities you want to see in the area and, where possible, deals with local problems as they arise, in partnership with The Mid Durham Area Action Partnership (MDAAP or simply "the AAP"), community organisations and other public bodies, together with neighbouring parish councils. Now we are represented on Durham County Council (DCC) by Councillors Bev Coult and Arnie Simpson.

Parishes are the smallest areas of civil administration in England. Town and Parish Councils provide the statutory tier of local government closest to the community. Civil Parishes (CP) should not be confused with Church of England ecclesiastical parishes and their Parochial Church Council (PCC). Parish Councils are also independent of County Councils.

Town and Parish Councils are an essential part of the structure of local democracy and have a vital role in acting on behalf of the communities they represent. They:             

• give views, on behalf of the community, on planning applications and other proposals that affect the parish

• undertake projects and schemes that benefit local residents

• work in partnership with other local organisations and public 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.

Town and Parish Councils have a wide range of legal duties and powers and have the power to raise money through the local council tax or precept.

Satley Parish Council  also manages and maintains a number of local facilities including:

• the notice board funded by the ESB International West Durham Windfarm Community Benefits Fund which is administered by The County Durham Community Foundation (CDCF)

• the playground (funded by the Parish Council, the MDAAP, our then County Councillor and the ESB Community Benefits Fund) 

• the additional playground chime, see-saw and rocker funded by Cllrs Arnie Simpson and Mike McGaun together with the Vane Family Grassroots Fund and the Community Health Revenue Fund administered by CDCF

• additional grit bins located around the parish

• the Community Public Access Defibrillator (cPAD) installed on the outside wall at the entrance to the Parish Hall in a secure, heated cabinet. Dial 999 or 112 and request an ambulance for the cardiac arrest patient and the ambulance service will provide the five digit lock code for access to the cabinet. This was funded jointly by the AAP, our then County Councillor, the PCC of St Cuthbert's Church together with the Parish Council and included improvements to the Parish Hall and the installation of an overhead projector.

• a second cPAD installed in a cabinet on the outside wall of Elsdon Lodge, West Butsfield, the 'home' of Butsfield Young Farmers Club. This cPAD was totally funded by (again) the ESB WDWF Community Benefits Fund

• the third cPAD located in a cabinet at Hall Hill Farm

• the new flower tubs (funded by our then County Councillor) and funds the annual ceilidh

• additional seats located around the area (jointly funded by our then County Councillors)

• this website which was funded by the government's Transparency Funds administered by The County Durham Association of Local Councils (CDALC)

• the parish council also fought against the development of another motorcycle moto-X park at Salter's Gate citing noise and traffic concerns in the rural area.

The work of the Parish Council is directly funded by a precept or charge on the council tax of residents in the parish which for 2023/24 will be £4,500 which equated to a charge of £36.23 per year for a Band D house (or £3.01 per month).  A ceilidg was organised to commemorate the King's Coronation.  A grant was received from Cllrs Coult and Simpson with the remainder of the costs being borne by The Parish Council which is required to agree a budget prior to applying for the precept. As can be seen above many projects are only undertaken with additional funding provided by County Councillors who represent the main unitary DCC, and with a successful application for funding from other bodies such as the CDCF.

The Parish Council usually meets at 7.00pm on the third Tuesday of the month every second month (January, March, May {AGM}, September, November) in Satley Parish Hall next to St Cuthbert's Church (Postcode DL13 4HU) and members of the public are welcome to attend. Agendas and minutes of meetings are published on this website and in the notice board. In addition there is an annual Parish Meeting held usually in March prior to the Parish Council meeting.

The website is maintained by the Parish Council and seeks to provide information on local social activities, essential services and other matters of interest to the community. This aspect will develop over time and the Parish Council welcomes any suggestions to make this site more useful to residents and visitors. The Parish Council accepts no responsibility for any inadvertent errors.