Parish Councils were set up by statute in 1894 to provide government for people at local level and to attempt to address their local problems.
Langton Matravers Parish Council consists of nine councillors, each elected to serve for four years, one of whom is the Chairman and another of whom is the Vice-Chairman. Chairman and Vice-Chairman are elected at the first Council Meeting (or Annual Meeting) in May. Casual Vacancies on the Council are advertised in the Council's notice-cases.
The Council meets each month, usually on the second Thursday, in the Village Hall at 7.00p.m. Notice of meetings and the full agenda of the items to be discussed are posted in the Council's notice-cases (one in the village centre, almost opposite the Post Office Stores, the other in the centre of Acton)and also on this website. At each meeting time is set aside for public discussion, when any parishioner may ask questions or air concerns or grievances.
All Development Plans within the parish are displayed in the Memorial Room of the Village Hall on the morning of Council Meetings, with a sheet for public comments. The plans are then considered by the Council's Planning Committee at 7.0p.m. on the same day in the Village Hall, during which meeting members of the public may state their opinions about the plans.
The Council Offices are adjacent to Putlake farm, next to the public toilets. You are welcome to visit the Clerk by appointment. The Clerk's telephone (which has an answering-machine) is 01929 425100.
Members of the public are welcomed at parish council meetings although they may not speak at the meetings except during the period set aside for them, as announced by the chairman. It is appreciated if the public do not talk amongst themselves during the rest of the proceedings, in order not to distract the council members and to enable everyone to hear the council's discussions clearly.
Elections are every 4 years, to become a candidate ask at Purbeck District Council offices for an application form as soon as an election is announced.
Langton Matravers Parish Council Standing Orders
Freedom of Information Act - Publication Scheme
1. A Cemetery in Crack Lane for both inhumation and cremation burials.
Copies of the Cemetery Regulations and Fees may be obtained from the Clerk or viewed at Cemetery Information.
2. Public Toilets at the bottom of Steps Hill near the entrance to Putlake Adventure Farm.
3. Allotment Gardens at Coles Ground.
4. A Bus shelter in the middle of the village.
5. A Bus shelter at Coombe/Steps Hill.
6. Thirteen Footway Lights in side roads where there is as yet no street lighting.
7. A Play Area for young people in St. George's First School Playing Field when the school is not in session, which includes swings for younger children.
8. Seven public seats at various locations in the village, four of them at bus stops.
9. A Village Sign at the centre of the village, commemorating the Festival of Britain.
10. A local stone Sculpture of a stonemason, commemorating the Millennium.
11. An illustrated Booklet on the Parish both past and present and updated from time to time which may be purchased from the Clerk or from the Post Office Stores.
12. A stone bus shelter at the turning into the hamlet of Acton.
13. Six grit bins placed strategically around the village for community use.
14. Two dog bins to help solve the continuing problem of dog waste on pavements.
15. A Web site with useful information about the Parish and the workings of the Council - www.langtonmatravers-pc.org
Langton Matravers Parish Council Website
(www.langtonmatravers-pc.org)