About Parish Council

The Parish Council is the tier of government that is closest to the community. The next tier is Dacorum Borough Council, then Hertfordshire County Council.

Any and all residents of Nash Mills are welcome to our Parish Meetings which are held in the Village Hall at 7.30pm on the second Monday of the month (except August and December unless business requires a meeting). Alternatively you can contact your local Ward representative or our Parish Clerk to discuss any issues or concerns that you may have.

How does this Parish Council Function?

The present councillors were elected in May 2019. Currently all the councillors live or own businesses in the Parish.

The size of the Parish, approx. 3,000 acres, is small so there are no electoral wards within the Parish. With the development of “localism” or “government” down to a local level we have assigned each councillor responsibility for areas of the Parish. Initially just to be a conduit of those parishioners “opportunities for improvement” and in the longer term, hopefully, creating “ward” or resident associations.

Unlike other tiers of Local Government Parish Councillors, do not get paid for the time they spend fulfilling their duties. The role is entirely voluntary and can take up many hours in working with their communities and attending meetings. Councillors have to abide by a Code of Conduct and declare any financial interests they may have in the Parish, such as their homes, businesses and the organisations to which they may belong. Councillors must also declare a personal or prejudicial interest in any matter under discussion at a Parish Council meeting.

Much of the Parish Council’s work is as an enabler. As an example, the Village Memorial Hall is managed by an independent team of Trustees but the Parish Council has used its power to contribute / divert quite large sums towards improvements over the years. Bunkers Park is managed by Friends of Bunkers Park with the help of the Parish Clerk. We persuade, cajole, and encourage the Borough and County to direct funds into our Parish.

Grants have also been made to other Parish organisations, either to assist them to carry out a particular project or as a start-up grant.
It’s not all excitement and glamour! We also:-

Comment upon applications for Planning Consent within the parish boundary. The Parish Council is a statutory consultee, and receives copies of all plans from the Borough Council, but has no actual power to refuse or consent to an application. It acts as a voice of the Parish, rather than for any individual (whether that individual is applying for consent or objecting to it being given). How the application will affect the Parish is the prime concern.

Employ a Warden to walk the Parish picking up litter and monitoring the state of the roads, signposts and street signs. The Councillors then attempt, with varying success, to persuade Hertfordshire County Council and Dacorum Borough Council to keep these up to standard. Spread the word of activities and events affecting the Parish via our quarterly magazine, this website and our Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Keep on top of the paperwork, including an incredible number of consultations from every conceivable organisation; a paper mountain which threatens to engulf all councils, whether principal or local.

All this work is channelled through committees and working groups, the major one is the monthly Full Council Meeting.

Agendas and Minutes of these meetings are now available via this website or in hardcopy from our Clerk. Better still why not come to our Full Council Meetings on the second Monday of each month.