Author: Parish Clerk

Vacancies occur from time to time, caused for example by the resignation of Parish Councillors.

June/July 2024 – The notice below was published for the statutory period ending 17th July 2024 and did not result in a call for an election.

We invite nominations to fill this vacancy by co-option.

Please consider applying – you can find a brief overview of the role on our separate web page, Could YOU be a Parish Councillor? If you are interested, we will be delighted to have a chat with you, completely without any obligation, to answer any questions you may have.

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At our meeting this week were lucky to co-opt two new members to St Michael Parish Council. Extending a warm welcome to Gee Smedley and Damian Gaskin -we look forward to working with you!

We have just made available the accounts for the year ending 31 March 2024, which were approved by Councillors at our meeting on 28th May. Please head over to our Finances page to view the documents.

Welcome to the Chairman’s report for 2023/24.

Another year has flown by and I would like to express my thanks to Councillors and our Parish Clerk for their involvement and commitment over this past year.

As a community we continue to face challenges and uncertainty. With inflation remaining high, cost pressures remain for households, business owners and community facilities alike. Our District Council is facing budgeting challenges. Work on the St Albans Local Plan continues.

It can be no coincidence then that we have seen a notable pickup in attendance at meetings of late, with local residents seeking to take the opportunity to reflect their views and feelings; the stakes are high. We have welcomed members of the public, campaign groups and District and County Councillors who have made active contributions to discussions on a variety of subject matter including planning applications, development and enforcement, road condition and safety, and upgrades to local infrastructure.

The Parish of St Michael is small in terms of number of residents, but is rich in green belt land. Whilst there have been recent applications to build within the area, this has largely been limited to extensions or isolated individual residential dwellings. As it stands, the Parish looks like it will not be directly affected by larger site development under consideration in the Local Plan. However, any larger scale development in North St Albans, North Harpenden, Redbourn and Hemel would stand to increase road traffic and associated congestion, noise and pollution quite significantly within and on the boundary of our Parish and would affect residents during and after any development. As such, StMPC is taking an active interest in the progress of the Local Plan and will seek to comment where and when appropriate.

This past year at St Michael Parish Council (StMPC) has again been one of change. Whilst last year the focus was on a boundary change that had a marked effect on the Parish, over the course of this year we have had turnover in the panel of Councillors serving the StMPC. We saw two long standing members depart and I would like to take this opportunity to wholeheartedly thank Liz Rolfe and Liz Rose for their tenures on the Parish Council and express gratitude for their individual steadfast dedication and contribution, each committing their time over two decades to serve the interests of local residents.

It is with pleasure we have welcomed Jeremy Peet and Ian Hawking to StMPC. Both live locally and have a keen interest in the area and I very much look forward to their presence on the bench as we move forward.

At the time of writing, we have two vacancies for the position of Parish Councillor and would like to invite anyone in the Parish or local area who has interest in taking the position to please get in touch.

It has again been a privilege to chair St Michael Parish Council this past year and I wish the best for the upcoming year to all residents of the Parish, their family and friends.

Best,

David Meachin

Chair of St Michael Parish Council 

Our Clerk explains the difference between the Annual Parish Meeting and the Annual General Meeting of the Parish Council….

With our Annual meetings due to be held on 14 May 2024, let’s take the opportunity to clarify what happens at each.

Both types of meeting are open to the public to attend, and both are required to be held during May.

The Annual General Meeting of the Parish Council is when we review things such as who will be Chairman for the next year.  Otherwise it will follow a similar structure as for other Parish Council Meetings in the year.  Any member of the public is entitled to attend and observe, but as with all Parish Council Meetings, they are allowed to speak or ask questions only in a designated part of the proceedings or by the invitation of the Chairman.

All Parish and Town Councils throughout England are required by law to hold an Annual Parish Meeting, which acts as an annual democratic point of communication enabling the Parish Council to explain what it has been doing over the last year and providing an opportunity for the electors to have their say on anything they consider is important  to the people of the Parish.

Who can attend the Annual Parish Meeting?
The Annual Parish Meeting is a meeting of all the local government electors for the Parish, which the public are specifically entitled to attend and participate in.

Will I be able to ask questions and make suggestions?
Yes, any registered elector may ask questions at the Annual Parish Meeting, which will usually be answered by the Chairperson, the Clerk to the Council, or a designated Councillor. An elector may also make suggestions and comment on anything relevant to the residents of the Parish.

Who will chair the Annual Parish Meeting?
The Chairman of the Parish Council will chair the meeting or in his/her absence the Vice Chairman.

Will Parish Councillors be there?
Yes, however, the purpose of the Annual Parish Meeting is to enable the ordinary electors to have their say. Councillors will listen with interest and as some are electors themselves, they also have the opportunity to raise questions and make comments if they wish.

Will notes be taken of the meeting?
Yes, a written record of the meeting will be taken and presented at the next Annual Parish meeting for approval.

How long will the meeting last?
As long as need be within reason.  It will depend on how many persons attend who wish to speak.