Intro to Knockin Parish Council 

Knockin Parish Council is made up of 7 elected members who represent the views of those who live and work in the parish. You can read more about your councillors here. The Parish Council considers a range of matters that are important to residents. Please do contact the clerk if you have a matter/project you would like the Council to consider for a future agenda. The Parish Council must comply with legislation and follow best practice for the sector when it comes to audits, managing public funds, and transparency. Find out more about Parish Council Finance here. The Council is also involved in considering planning applications. The Council employs a part-time clerk to act as Proper Officer and Responsible Financial Officer. You can contact the Parish Council clerk by email and phone in the daytime on Mondays - Friday, but as they only work 7hrs/week please note there may be a delay in response. 

 

Parish Council Meetings

The Parish Council usually meets on the first Tuesday of alternate months, i.e. Jan, March, May, July, Sept, Nov, in the Committee Room of Knockin Village Hall. Members of the public and press are welcome to attend all Parish Council meetings, although there may on occasion be some agenda items where press and public will be excluded due to confidentiality. You can find more information in our Standing Orders (on our policies page).

Each meeting usually starts with Public session or Open Forum, during which members of the public are welcome to speak on agenda items or share urgent news. You are very welcome to stay and observe the rest of the Council meeting after the open forum if you wish. Read more about Parish Council meetings here.

View Council agendas

View Council minutes

 

Annual Parish Meeting

This is an open meeting for all Knockin parishioners and must be held between 1st March and 1st June each year. It is sometimes referred to as the meeting of local electors. Although it is called and chaired by the Parish Council chairman, it is not actually a parish council meeting. Parish electors are encouraged to contact the clerk with suggestions for agenda items, and they are also encouraged to attend the meeting, and vote on any proposals. Read more about the annual parish meeting here. 

 

General Power of Competence

Parish Councils cannot do anything they choose, there must be a 'power' or 'authority' written in law that allows the Council to do what they are hoping to do. The General Power of Competence (introduced under the Localism Act, 2011) permits eligible English councils to do anything individuals may generally do, unless specifically prohibited from doing so by other laws. It is a power of first resort, so eligible Councils don’t need to search for the relevant power that allows them to act a certain way, they can simply ask whether an individual would be permitted to act that way. The General Power of Competence gives Councils greater flexibility to act in innovative ways, although there are of course some restrictions.

Eligible Councils must have a clerk with a recognised sector-specific qualification e.g. CiLCA, and a minimum of two thirds of the Council’s members must have been elected (not co-opted). The Council's eligibility for General power of Competence will be assessed again after the May 2025 elections.