HORRINGER-CUM-ICKWORTH PARISH COUNCIL

Horringer Cum Ickworth is an attractive village situated 2½ miles southwest of Bury St Edmunds on the A143, it has a busy and thriving community, next door to Ickworth National Trust Site.  The Parish Council oversees the Children's Play Area (Holly Close) and a Book Exchange (Telephone Kiosk in Meadow Drive).

What is a parish council?

A parish council is a civil local authority found in England, which is the lowest tier of local government.  They are elected corporate bodies, with variable tax raising powers, and they carry out beneficial public activities in geographical areas known as civil parishes. There are about 10,480 parish and town councils in England.  Parish councils may be known by different styles, they may resolve to call themselves a town council, village council, community council, neighbourhood council, or if the parish has city status, it may call itself a city council. However, their powers and duties are the same whatever name they carry.

Parish councils receive the majority of their funding by levying a precept upon the council tax paid by the residents of the parish (or parishes) covered by the council.  In 2021-22 the amount raised by precept was £616 million.  Other funding may be obtained by local fund-raising or grants for specific activities. They can vary enormously in size, activities and circumstances; representing populations ranging from fewer than 100 (small rural hamlets) to up to 130,000 (Northampton Town Council). Most of them are small: around 80% represent populations of less than 2,500; Parish councils are made up of unpaid councillors who are elected to serve for four years: there are about 70,000 parish councillors’ country-wide

Civil parish councils were formed in England under the reforming Local Government Act 1894 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) to take over local oversight of civic duties in rural towns and villages from the vestry committee. Parish councils are generically referred to as "local councils" to distinguish them from "principal councils" (e.g. district councils, county councils, unitary authorities or London borough councils) and most are affiliated via County Associations to the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), which represents their interests at a national level.

The Council is an elected body with seven seats filled by Horringer Cum Ickworth residents whose primary function is to ensure that the Parish is efficiently and economically run using a proportion of the annual Council Tax income.

  • The Parish Council has a broad range of responsibilities some of which can be summarized below:
  • Provision of Sports. Recreational and Leisure Facilities
  • Provision of Playgrounds and Play Equipment
  • Provision of and maintenance of Street Lighting
  • Street cleansing
  • Statutory consultations on planning issues, working to influence Planning Authority decisions, based on Councillors local knowledge
  • Ensuring that the Horringer Cum Ickworth Neighbourhood Development Plan reflects the shared vision for its neighbourhood  
  • Making representations to other local and national bodies, on issues that affect the local community
  • Working with the SaferNeighbourhood Team on policing in the village
  • Managing a number of public open spaces
  • Working with the County Council on traffic matters
  • Engaging with other local Parish Councils on matters that affect us all.

Whilst there are limited powers to make decisions, Parish Councils do have the ability to negotiate with, and the power to influence, those other organisations that do make the final decisions.

NEXT MEETING - 16th June 2025 @ 7.30 PM

If you have any questions about this site or wish to submit anything to be published then please email the parish clerk at: admin@horringer-pc.gov.uk