Our Responsibilities
What is the Parish Council?
Starcross Parish Council is a democratically elected body of eleven unpaid Councillors. Each Councillor belongs to one or more Committees for areas of particular interest in the village. The Council employs a part time Clerk, who is also the Responsible Financial Officer.
What does the Parish Council do?
The Parish Council has responsibility for developing and maintaining resources owned by the community. In Starcross, this currently includes land on The Strand between the Atmospheric Railway Inn car park to the south, and the footpath crossing the railway to the north; the playing field at the end of Bonhay Road; the Sports Field off Generals Lane; and the car park and boat park off Generals Lane near the slipway, as well as buildings and equipment in these locations. A new Pavilion on the sports field supports league and friendly fixtures on the field, as well as an excellent community hall for meetings, recreational activities and private functions.
The Parish Council also holds a lease on land on The Strand between the station and the War Memorial well as the Millennium Garden at Courtney Corner, and an allotment site.
The Parish Council has the power to provide financial support to local projects and community groups through grants. Recently, this has included pre-school and school holiday projects, twinning activities, the Scarecrow Festival, Starcross in Bloom activities, and events on the Sports Field such as the Jubilee celebration in 2012.
The Parish Council is informed about all planning applications within the village. While it has no power of veto or approval, the Parish Council is able to comment on applications, and those comments are taken into consideration by the planning authority, Teignbridge District Council.
The Parish Council is also able to engage with other agencies on matters which affect the whole village, such as plans for traffic management, transport, regional development, and the management of the Exe estuary.
How does it do this?
The funds necessary to undertake the activities of the Parish Council are raised through the Precept. This is the demand made by the Parish Council and charged through the Council tax. Every penny spent by the Parish Council is raised from this charge to households within the community. There is no additional funding from either District, County, or Central government.
All decisions regarding Parish Council policy, recommendations and spending are made at Parish Council meetings. The agenda for each meeting is publicised on this website and on the Parish Council notice board at least three working days in advance of the meeting to allow village residents who wish to do so to attend the meetings and have their opinions heard.
Do you want to know more?
If you would like to know more about what Starcross Parish Council does, how it works, or would like to become involved, please get in touch, through the Contact Us page.
