Shedfield Civil Parish is an administrative unit, entirely separate from the ecclesiastical or church parish of Shedfield. Throughout England, residents are represented by elected Councillors at Parish, District and County level.
"Shedfield Civil Parish (unit id 10016095) was created in 1894 from parts of Droxford and Hambledon . April 1st 1932 – 283 acres were included from Wickham CP and then April 1st 1967 – 9 acres were taken from Swanmore, 88 acres from Bishop’s Waltham and 1 acre from Curdridge[1]. In 1961 a total of 2,286 acres with a population of 2,142 [2]."
It consists of the three villages:
Shedfield, Shirrell Heath, Waltham Chase Latest population figures from 2021 Census Shedfield 939, Shirrell Heath 749, Waltham Chase 2380 - total 4068
Shedfield Parish Council is the tier of local government closest to the people and has an overall responsibility for the well being of your local neighbourhood.
The responsibilities of the Council are varied and specified by Acts of Parliament. These powers include those relating to planning, recreational facilites, community transport, some footpaths, some street lighting, litter and open spaces.
The Parish Council employs three part-time members of staff to manage the day-to-day operations, and there are also 14 unpaid councillors who are elected every four years by the electors of the parish.
The councillors are governed by a mandatory code of conduct which includes obligations to act in an appropriate way.
There are three main components to the councillors work:
- Deciding the way money should be spent, services delivered and policies implemented
- Monitoring the efficiency and effectiveness of services
- Being involved locally both in meeting the wider community and engaging with local organisations
Parish and Town councils have a wide range of powers, including the ability to raise taxes (The Precept) for local projects.
All parish councillors are trustees of the Shedfield Recreation Ground Charity and Shirrell Heath Recreation Ground and Allotment Charity.
The Parish Clerk is the council’s “proper officer”, appointed by the council to discharge its functions. The Clerk is supported by a Responsible Financial Officer and an Assistant Clerk.
The officers work as part of a team with the councillors to serve the residents and businesses of Shedfield Parish. They draw up and sign agendas for meetings, giving the appropriate notice, and ensure minutes of meetings are recorded accurately. They implement the decisions of the council, as well as provide independent, objective and professional advice, information and administrative support to the council. The Parish Clerk also fulfils the role of office manager.
The Annual General Meeting of the Council is held each year in May, when elections for Chairman, Vice-Chairman and .Committee Chairmen are held.
The Annual Parish Meeting is held between March and May each year and is a meeting which all electors of the parish can attend. The purpose of this meeting is to allow the Parish Council to provide parishioners with an update on its activities during the previous year. It also enables electors to speak about anything they consider important.
Shedfield Parish Council’s constitution is made up of the Standing Orders, Financial Regulations and Code of Conduct. The Constitution is the Council's internal rule book. It sets out how the Council will operate and how decisions are made. Some of the processes are required by law, while others are a matter of Council choice. The Constitution is a living document. It is kept under continual review and is re-examined annually by Council. These documents can be found on the strategic document page on this website.
Census website https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity
The OpenStreetMap has a map of the parish.
Walks and Rights of Way in the parish.
Information about the Trees of the parish.
Aerial Views of the parish.
Millennium Video of Shedfield Parish on YouTube.com