Baildon Parish Council has its own website that you will find by following this link.. 

This web site hosts a forum for use by all Bradford Parish Councils. It can be found here. 

Elections were held on 3rd May 2007 for two of the wards in Baildon (Baildon West and Baildon East) and then on 14th May 2007 the Parish Council took office.

Two local residents from the South West ward were co-opted onto the Parish Council on Monday 8th October 2007.

May 2008 - Eddie Ward resigns.

July 2008 - Denis Colman co-opted to replace Eddie Ward. 

July 2008 - Stephen Heaton resigns due to work commitments.

October 2008 - Joe Ashton co-opted to replace Stephen Heaton.

The Wards

The Parish Clerk, Ruth Batterley can also be contacted by this e-mail address. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it The office for the Council is at 11, Wharfedale Drive, Ilkley LS29  8QB and the phone number if you would like to speak to Ruth about Parish Council business is: 01943 605746 

There is a map of the Ward layout within the Documents section of the website here.

Dates

It is the intention of the Parish Council to hold its meeting on the second Monday of each month. Please refer to the calendar for the exact dates, times and venues.  Once the agenda items are known they will form part of the calendar entry. The library and noticeboards will also be used to publicise the meetings.

Documents - Minutes and Agendas

Copies of the minutes and agendas are available on the Parish Council website in the Documents section which can be accessed using the Documents link on the left of their website or using this link which will take you to the correct section. Copies of these documents will also be available in the library. The approved and signed copies will be held by the Parish Council and are available on request.

Parish Councils 

The National Association of Local Councils has a website here that you might find of interest. 

A map of the Baildon Wards is available on the Documents section here. 

What is a Parish Council?

A Parish Council is a small local authority below the level of the District Council. It has to work in accordance with legislation passed by Parliament. A Parish Council does not replace the district council but is the level of local government closest to the community.

Within the Bradford Metropolitan District there are currently 17 Parish Councils, with Baildon being the newest. Each parish represents an identifiable community within the District. In Baildon there are six parish wards each of which will elect two parish councillors, meaning that there will be twelve parish councillors in total. Parish Councils usually employ a full time or part time clerk to help with administration.

What can a Parish Council Do?

Parish Councils are important in representing the views and needs of local communities.

Parish councils make all kinds of decisions on issues that affect the local community.

Probably the most common topics that parish councils get involved with are planning matters (they are statutory consultees), crime prevention and roads & highways. On their own, parish councils may have limited powers to make decisions. But they do have the ability to negotiate with, and the power to influence, those other organisations that do make the final decisions. In this respect parish councils can be powerful. The organisations that make the final decisions know that a parish council gives a good reflection of how a community feels about something, and it’s views will be taken seriously.

Parish Councils also have a budget which is raised through local taxation and parish councillors are responsible for the management of the budget.

How are Parish Councils Accountable?

The decisions of the Parish Council are made by Councillors who are elected every 4 years. The meetings of the Council must normally be open to the public and most Councils allow a session where the public can comment and ask questions.

The meetings must be advertised in advance.

There also has to be an annual meeting for all the electors in the area served by the Parish Council. Usually the Council take this as an opportunity to report on what it has done, and intends to do, as well as a chance to listen to local people.

How long does a parish councillor serve for?

Once elected, parish councillors sit on the council for a maximum of four years. If they then want to stay in the post they can stand for re-election. It doesn’t mean that you have to stay for four years, if you find it’s not for you or you can no longer meet the commitment you can stand down.

WHAT DOES A PARISH COUNCILLOR DO?

Taking account of the needs and views of the village they decide which activities and projects within the village deserve support of the Parish Council.

They approve an annual budget to raise money to fund these activities and projects and agree the annual additional Rates or Precept to be raised on householders in the village.

On the basis of local knowledge they engage in constructive debate and make decisions that produce the best outcome for the village with the resources, human and financial, of the Parish Council.

They exercise their statutory right to recommend approval or rejection of Planning Applications.

The Parish Council being a democratically elected body, has the right to represent the village to the press or other organisations, where valuable to the village interests.

They set up the financial and operational policies for the conduct of its business and its relationships with other organisations, for example the Menston Community Association.

A Parish Council have statutory powers to choose, with the agreement of the Bradford MDC, to undertake a wide range of services which includes halls, footpaths and parks.