AULT HUCKNALL PARISH COUNCIL
NEXT PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
Please note that the Next Meeting of
Ault Hucknall Parish Council
will be held on
TUESDAY 10th APRIL 2024
commencing at 6:30 p.m.
at Doe Lea Centre.
Please click here for the agenda
AUDIT OF ACCOUNTS 2022/2023
The Audit of Accounts for 2022-2023 has now been completed and the Closure documents can be viewed below by clicking on 'Audit Closure'. This includes the
Notice of Conclusion of Audit
Section 1 - The Annual Governance Statement
Section 2 - the Accounting Statement
Section 3 - the External Auditor's Report and Certificate
NOTICE OF PUBLIC RIGHTS AND PUBLICATION OF
UNAUDITED ANNUAL GOVERNANCE & ACCOUNTABILITY RETURN (AGAR)
ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023
The Notice of Public Rights together with
Section 1 - The Annual Governance Statement,
Section 2 - the Accounting Statements and
the Annual Internal Audit Report
can be viewed by clicking on the links below
AUDIT OF ACCOUNTS 2021/2022
The Audit of Accounts 2021/2022 for Ault Hucknall Parish Council have now been completed. Please click the links below to view the Notice of Conclusion of Audit, the Annual Governance and Accountability Return for the year ended 31 March 2022 and the Auditor's report in accordance with the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015
Ault Hucknall is a small village, which gives its name to the surrounding civil parish, in the Bolsover district of Derbyshire, England. It sits at the north end of the County of Derbyshire and is split into two halves by the M1 motorway
The parish also contains the hamlets of Rowthorne, Stainsby, Hardwick, Hardstoft, and Astwith and the two ex mining villages of Doe Lea and Bramley Vale
Local residents describe the settlement as the "smallest village in England", although as a village is not legally defined in England, this is not a provable claim – many would refer to it as a hamlet. The philosopher Thomas Hobbes was interred within Ault Hucknall’s St. John the Baptist Church following his death in 1679
In Ault Hucknall, as in most communities, the oldest surviving building is the parish church. St John’s is unusual among Derbyshire churches in retaining features that date from the 11th century when architecture was still influenced by Anglo-Saxon traditions. The church has three compartments – a nave with a north aisle, a former chancel under a crossing tower, and a sanctuary (now the chancel).
Ault Hucknall church played an important role in the Hardwick Estate. All parishioners would have been expected to attend services weekly at Ault Hucknall church, which lay some distance from any of the villages in the parish
Elizabeth dowager countess of Shrewsbury (c.1521–1608), best known to history as `Bess of Hardwick', is probably the third most famous Englishwoman of her age after Queen Elizabeth herself and Mary Queen of Scots, with both of whom Bess had close links.
She was married four times, firstly to Robert Barley, secondly to the courtier Sir William Cavendish, thirdly to Sir William St Loe and lastly to George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury.
Bess amassed a large fortune from her four marriages which she invested in both re-building the Old Hall at and building the New Hall at Hardwick as well as acquiring substantial tracts of land in neighbouring regions.
Doe Lea was originally built for the growing mining community during the early part of the 20th century. The older terraced properties were demolished and have now been replaced by a large new housing development which has more than doubled the size of the original village.
The village is named after the River Doe Lea and has been described as a small linear village running alongside the A617 off Junction 29 of the M1 Motorway belonging to the District of Bolsover.
The residents of Bramley Vale and Doe Lea have seen major changes over the years particularly after the closure of local collieries.
There is now a large thriving industrial estate on the site of Glapwell Colliery
The re-invention of the Doe Lea Centre has been a major development and is at the hub of both the old village and the new housing development making it an ideal and welcoming place for old and new residents to get to know each other
The Parish of Ault Hucknall
AULT HUCKNALL PARISH COUNCILLORS
Ms A Syrett, Stainsby SchoolHouse,Stainsby,Heath,Chesterfield S44 5RN (Chair)
Mr A Trafford, Stainsby School House, Stainsby, Heath, Chesterfield S44 5RN (Vice Chair)
Mrs L Adsetts Moseley, 7 Evelyn Devonshire Cottages, Hardstoft, Chesterfield S45 8AD
Mr D Adsetts Moseley, 7 Evelyn Devonshire Cottages, Hardstoft, Chesterfield S45 8AD
Mrs. P Clough, 35 Maple Grove, Glapwell, Chesterfield S44 5NN
Ms R E Hill-Harmsworth, 12 East Street, Doe Lea, Chesterfield S44 5NP
Mrs T Howell, 7 Old School Close, Doe Lea, Chesterfield S44 5PS
Mr S Poole, 131 East Street, Doe Lea, Chesterfield S44 5DL
Mr J Wright, 9 Waterloo Street, Bramley Vale, Chesterfield S44 5PJ
Members' Declarations of Interests can be viewed on the Bolsover District Council website and by clicking here
WHAT IS A PARISH COUNCIL?
There are two sorts of parishes, whose boundaries do not always coincide. These are a) Ecclesiastical parishes centred on an Anglican church with a parochial church council, and b) the Civil Parishes, which are part of local administration.
A civil parish is an independent local democratic unit for villages, smaller towns and suburbs of urban areas. Each parish has a Parish (or Town) Meeting, and where the electorate exceeds 200, usually have a Parish or Town council.
The Parish Council
The Parish council is a small local authority. Its councillors are elected for four years at a time. The last election in this parish was in 2019. Vacancies occurring between elections are filled by bye-election (if requested) or co-option.
Each year the councillors choose a chairman from amongst their number. There is also a vice-chairman and a clerk, who is the Proper Officer and the Responsible Finance Officer of the council.
Parish Councils have a number of formal powers. Many provide allotments, look after playing fields, play areas and village greens, They maintain and guard things such as rights of way, bus shelters, public seats, small scale street lighting, and often provide village halls and meeting places. The Parish council can do these things by actually providing them itself, or by helping someone else (such as a charity or volunteers) financially to do so. Parish councils have the power to improve the quality of community life by spending sums of money on things which, in their opinion, are in the interests of the parish or it’s inhabitants.
Councils are also the focal point for local consultation on matters such as planning applications and District Council strategic planning. The parish councillors know the village and can represent its views to other authorities such as District and County Councils. They are entitled to be consulted on planning applications and are often consulted on things like schools and roads. They put the parish’s case at public enquiries.
How much do they cost?
Parish councils are the most unbureaucratic and cheapest kind of local authority in existence. Their funds are a tiny part of the council tax. They get no general government grant, and so have every incentive to be economical. The accounts are strictly audited every year by an internal auditor and the Audit Commission.
Who controls the Parish Council?
You do! You elect it’s members every four years and you are entitled to go to the annual parish meeting and say what you think. Members of the public are also welcome to sit in on the monthly council meetings, and participate when there is a public session.
Ault Hucknall Parish Council
Ault Hucknall Parish Council has ten councillors and exists to help residents and be a point of contact for ideas and suggestions for improvements in the parish.
The parish council is the smallest and most localised tier of local government in the UK and is a properly constituted local authority. The powers and duties, and the manner in which the parish council operates is laid out in local government statute and regulations. The Parish Council has legal responsibilities as an employer, and owner of public land and buildings.
The work of the ten members of the Council is voluntary, and the members give their time freely to help enhance the parish and support its other organisations, for the benefit of all residents.
The abilities of a parish council to raise (through the village precept on the Council Tax) and spend money is very tightly regulated, as is the manner in which members of a council must conduct themselves.
The manner in which a council conducts its business is set out in a document agreed by the council from time to time known as Standing Orders. The Council prepares an annual budget and raises money (shown as part of the council tax) which it uses towards the upkeep of the village.
This Council works with Bolsover District Council and Derbyshire County Council If you have issues with those authorities, and feel we can help with your problem then please let us know.
Your District Council
As a general guide your District Council is responsible for planning and building control, housing, environmental services, waste and recycling collections, housing and council tax benefits, collection of council tax and business rates, community safety, helath and safety, food safety, land and premises and licensing. For more details visit www.bolsover.gov.uk
Your County Council
Your County Council covers areas inclulding register offices, consumer advice, funding and grants, schools and colleges, youth service, waste disposal, emergency planning, countryside services, libraries, tourism, museums, arts and entertainment, social care and public transport. For more details visit www.derbyshire.gov.uk
PARISH CLERK AND RESPONSIBLE FINANCE OFFICER
E R PRICE
117 STATION ROAD, NORTH WINGFIELD,
CHESTERFIELD S42 5JQ
Phone: 07587 107122
E-mail: theclerk@aulthucknallparishcouncil.gov.uk