Your Parish Council
A Parish Council is the lowest level of government in the UK. It raises taxes in the form of Council tax, which in the case of Kings Barton is collected and distributed by WCC. As a tax raising body it has to ensure that it acts only within the law and it that undertakes its duties and responsibilities, properly. There are a number of laws that can be used by a PC and you will find them listed on the HWPC website, link below.
In order to ensure a PC works within the law and fulfills all its audit obligations, a PC employs a Clerk whose job it is to advise the Council, to provide budgetary information and to undertake the operational decisions of the Council (eg: liaise with the contractors).
As many of you are aware WCC has been holding a Community Governance Review, ostensibly to set up a new Parish Council for the Winchester Town area because, when the new Unitary authorities are up and running in 2028, it will not have Council to look after it on a local level. As part of this process WCC asked Kings Barton residents if they wished to have their own Council and the majority of residents expressed this wish. However, the creation of these two new bodies cannot be confirmed until a Re-Organisation Order is published by WCC and this cannot happen until after the WCC Cabinet meet in October. The CGR process agreed that there will be 12 Cllrs on the Kings Barton Parish Council so residents are urged to consider if they would like to become Cllrs on the new Council. Elections for the Councillor positions will take place May 6th 2027.
Headbourne Worthy Parish Council is the current Parish Council for the Kings Barton area and despite the name is mostly made up with Kings Barton residents as Cllrs. The Council runs a Kings Barton Committee, which all the KB Cllrs sit on, to make decisions specifically on Kings Barton matters. This Committee meets every 2nd Monday of the month at the Barton Farm Primary School. All the meetings are held in public, so all residents are welcome to attend and bring to the Committee’s attention any concerns that they may have.
