Town and Parish Charter

To enable effective communication, Buckinghamshire Council will:

• appoint a cabinet member as the council’s lead for relationships with parish and town councils and the champion of local councils
• establish a senior role within the Policy and Partnerships team to lead on strategic relationships with parish and town councils and local associations
• provide a single priority telephone number and email for parish and town councils and a list of key officer contacts (updated every 6 months) to use when contacting Buckinghamshire Council
• provide a list of all Buckinghamshire Councillors and their contact details on the Buckinghamshire Council website
• ensure a wide range of effective channels are in place to enable two-way communication, spanning all levels of the organisation, including focus groups and local meetings to address issues around service delivery where necessary
• work in partnership to explore further opportunities for devolution where this will benefit local communities, in accordance with Buckinghamshire Council policies*
• provide parish councils with advance notice/schedule of consultations and aim to allow at least 6 weeks for responses wherever possible
• work towards developing a consistent approach to producing summary reports for lengthy consultations and briefings on complex issues, which include a focus on implications for parish councils