Hatton Parish
Hatton Parish is set in the rural countryside of Warwickshire about four miles north west of the town of Warwick. The main settlements are those of Hatton and Hatton Park, which is the redeveloped Central Hospital and King Edward VII sites. There are circa 100 homes in Hatton village and about 750 on Hatton Park.
The Parish has a thriving and very successful school, the Ferncumbe CE VC Primary School, situated on the Green in Hatton. The school was founded in1886 as Hatton Elementary School and it is now up to capacity of 125 pupils. We are home to one of the most picturesque spots on the Grand Union Canal, the famous Hatton Flight, which contains 21 locks in less than two miles and provides a stern test of boater stamina, and the popular Hatton Country World, both attract many visitors. On the Birmingham Road, we have the Hatton Arms public house and the Holy Trinity Church Hatton. The parish residents also benefit from activities at two village halls: Hatton Village Hall and Hatton Park Village Hall.
The Parish Council is charged with looking after the best interests of the whole community and is made up of eight unpaid volunteers guided by our clerk, Katherine Skudra. We are committed to preserving the heritage and beauty of the area that we are privileged to live in, whilst also preparing it for the future. We meet ten times a year at either Hatton Village Hall or Hatton Park Village Hall to discuss our work and welcome your input. Full details can be found on the Parish Meetings page.
History of Parish Councils
Some thousand years ago when communications were poor and central government weak or often non-existent villages were ruled by the Lord of the Manor and, as time progressed, parish priests and school masters became involved in matters relating to the whole community as they were the only adult inhabitants with any form of education.
Around 1600, the Church took on a more active role in the government of the community and church vestry meetings were organised and introduced legislation to give themselves the responsibility of levying the poor rate. These were the first effective local taxes. Everyone in the Parish was entitled to attend these meetings but in reality the work fell to a few individuals, rather like the parish councils of today.
In the 1800s the Poor Law Amendment Act removed from parish vestries the responsibility for poor relief and handed it to the Poor Law Unions who were the predecessors of what are now our district councils.
Although the squire, the parson and sometimes the schoolmaster were still the leaders in the village, popular education was spreading and more people wanted a say in managing local affairs and it was William Gladstone, then prime minister, who introduced the 1894 Local Government Act which, although faced with considerable opposition, made its way through the Houses of Parliament to became law and result in the formation of parish councils as we know them today.
This new legislation resulted in the Parish Council being responsible for civil matters whilst church affairs became the responsibility of the Parochial Church Council.
Parish Roles
The Parish Clerk
The Clerk is employed by the Parish Council, to provide administrative support for all its activities. Their primary responsibility is to advise the Council on whether its decisions are lawful and to recommend ways in which decisions can be implemented. The Clerk can be asked to research topics of concern to the Council and provide unbiased information to aid the Council the decision making.
The Clerk has a wide range of other responsibilities which are set out in the job description. The Council is responsible for all decisions and the Clerk takes instructions from the Council as a body. They are not answerable to any individual councillor including the Chairman.
The Council must be confident that the Clerk is, at all times, independent, objective and professional.
You can contact the Parish Clerk, or through them any of the Councilors, either by using the e-mail facility on this website or by writing to the address listed on the contact form.
The Councillors
A councillor is a member of the Parish Council and is normally elected for a term of four years. Individuals of any political or religious persuasion are eligible to become councillors, although personal views should not extend into the Council’s work. They are elected to represent the interests of the local community as a whole and promote a harmonious local environment. The number of elected councillors depends on the size of the parish and we have eight councillors.
Parish councils are the first tier of governance and are the first point of contact for anyone concerned with a community issue. They are democratically elected local authorities and exist in England, Wales and Scotland. The term 'parish council' is synonymous with 'local council', 'town council' and 'community council'.
Parish councils are legally obliged to hold at least one meeting a year. Most meet on a six or eight-weekly cycle to discuss council business and hear from local residents. In addition to this, any committees or sub-committees dealing with specific subjects must also hold regular open sessions, at which members of the public can speak. Our district and county councillors regularly attend parish meetings to report back on developments at parish level. Councillors attend meetings of the full Council and often participate in committees that deal with specific areas of council business. Councillors take collective decisions that form the policy of the Council.
Being a parish councillor can be an interesting and rewarding experience.
The Parish Council is charged with looking after the best interests of the whole community and is made up of eight unpaid volunteers guided by our Clerk, Katherine Skudra. We are committed to preserving the heritage and beauty of the area that we are all privileged to live in, whilst also preparing it for the future. The present councillors are:
Martin LeTocq (Chair)
Brendon Asprey
Anthony Burrows
Veronica Chapman
Susan Hague
Margaret Langford
Joshua Moore