The Parish Council
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The Parish Council

Eight councillors are elected every four years to represent the Parish population, currently approximately 5,500 people.  

The Councillors elect the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Council annually in May.

What the Parish Council Does

The Council has the right of representation on planning matters, which includes all planning applications and structure plan proposals.  The Council considers planning applications and submits its comments on these to the Planning Authority, Braintree District Council, who are responsible for making the decisions in such matters.

The Council also monitors the state of  footpaths, bridleways and rights of way within the Parish on behalf of Essex County Council's Highway Authority, and is a member of the Parish Paths Partnership run by Essex County Council.

The Council has responsibility for maintaining:

the children’s play area located at the rear of White Court School playing field;
the Notley Green recreation area for teenagers (RAFT), which includes a basketball court, five-a-side football pitch and a half pipe for skateborading;
the bus shelter at Notley Green;
the White Court woodland (under contract with Braintree District Council);
the White Court War Memorial; and
a small number of streetlights for which the County Council (or, currently, the developers) are not responsible.

In addition, Councillors monitor the operation of all the streetlights throughout Great Notley, and the emptying of litter and dog-waste bins.

Grants

The Council supports local voluntary organisations through its Grant Scheme.  Applications are considered annually by the Council, and should be submitted to the Parish Clerk no later than the end of September.

Income

The Parish Council receives a small percentage of the Council Tax collected by Braintree District Council. 

Audited Accounts

Like all public bodies the Parish Council must prepare Accounts each Financial Year (1 April to 31 March), and these have to be independently audited.

A copy of the Accounts is on this website.