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The Council was accredited on 14th March 2008 and is the 549th QPS Council nationally, the 7th in Northamptonshire and the first Quality Parish Council in East Northamptonshire District (Thrapston is the district’s first Quality Town Council).
What is the Quality Parish Scheme? The scheme was launched by DEFRA in July 2003 following a Government White Paper Our Countryside: The Future. A Fair Deal For Rural England (November 2000) which proposed a number of initiatives designed to enhance the role of parish and town councils.
A Quality Parish Council: • is representative of, and actively engages, all parts of its community, providing vision, identity and a sense of belonging; • is effectively and properly managed; • articulates the needs and wishes of its community; • upholds high standards of conduct; • is committed to work in partnership with principal local authorities and other public service agencies; • in proportion to its size and skills, delivers local services on behalf of principal local authorities when this represents the best deal for the local community; • works closely with voluntary groups in its community; • provides leadership to the community through its work on parish plans; and • working with its partners, acts as an information point for local services.
1. Electoral Mandate 2. Qualifications of the Clerk 3. Council Meetings 4. Communication 5. Annual Reports 6. Accounts 7. Ethical Framework
Taken as a whole, the tests exceed the statutory duties with which all parish councils should be complying as a matter of course, and represent standards which an efficient, well-run parish council that actively engages with and works for its community should be meeting.
The County Accreditation Panel meets to determine the submitted applications and evidence portfolio. The panel meets in closed session to review the evidence, then interviews representatives from the Council (e.g. the Chairman and the Clerk). The panel’s decision is then forwarded to the National Association of Local Councils for formal certification.
The accreditation must be renewed every 4 years.
The QPS accreditation demonstrates that the Council has met the standards expected from an effective, representative and active Parish Council. It may therefore apply for additional sources of government funding not available to non-QPS Councils and may also enter into a charter arrangement with District and County councils to devolve some services (and associated funding) to the Parish.
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Quality Parish Council Scheme |
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Archive information links |