Our Information

Our information has been set out in a format designed to help users of assistive technology (in accordance with government regulation) and contains the seven Classes of information the Publication Scheme requires. If you want our information in the tabular format shown on the ICOs website, please make a request as described below.

Unless otherwise stated, all our information is published on our website https://www.neashamparishcouncil.co.uk/. In addition, we state when some information is published on the Parish Council notice boards.

At your request, we will provide printed copies of our information at a cost of 15 pence per A4 page plus any postage and any statutory fee provided for in legislation. Any disbursements to be incurred and re-charged by the Council to meet a request will be advised in advance. Alternatively, where possible, we will supply electronic copies as PDFs.

Please contact the Clerk to make your request. The Clerk’s contact details are: John Walker, Clerk to Neasham Parish Council, 14 Teesway, Neasham, Darlington, DL2 1QP, Phone:  07915 611456.

Email: enquiries@NeashamParishCouncil.co.uk

What we publish

Class 1 – Who we are and what we do

Organisational information, structures, locations and contacts. This will be current information only. 

  • Who’s who on the Council. The Council has no standing sub-committees.
  • The Council does not have an office and hires its meeting room (usually Neasham Reading Room, Teesway, Neasham).
  • Contact details for Parish Clerk (see above).
  • Details of Council Members – contact information withheld in interests of privacy. (Individual Councillors to be contacted in the first instance via Clerk)

Class 2 – What we spend and how we spend it 

(Financial information relating to projected and actual income and expenditure, procurement, contracts and financial audit). (Current and previous financial year as a minimum.)

  • Certified Annual Governance and Accountability return form
  • Finalised budget
  • Precept
  • Financial Regulations
  • Grants given and received (if any)
  • List of current contracts awarded and value of contract (if any)
  • List of items of expenditure over £100 as required by The Transparency Code for Smaller Authorities
  • Members’ allowances and expenses

Class 3 – What our priorities are and how we are doing 

Strategies and plans, performance indicators, audits, inspections and reviews for current and previous year as a minimum. 

Annual Report to Parish Meeting (current and previous year as a minimum). Please note no report was given for 2019-2020.

(Reports containing photographs are produced in PDF format only, and presently not in Accessible format.)

(We do not have a Parish Plan, Quality status, or local charter.)

Class 4 – How we make decisions 

(Decision making processes and records of decisions).

Current and previous council year as a minimum.        

Agendas and Minutes are displayed on Council notice boards

  • Timetable of meetings (Council and any committee/sub-committee meetings and parish meetings)
  • Agendas of meetings
  • Minutes of meetings – (nb this will exclude information that is properly regarded as private to the meeting).
  • Responses to planning applications – see Planning Register

The following are in hard copy or PDF only; please request:

  • Reports presented to council meetings – (nb this will exclude information that is properly regarded as private to the meeting).
  • Responses to consultation papers

There are no current bye-laws.

Class 5 – Our policies and procedures 

(Current written protocols, policies and procedures for delivering our services and responsibilities, and other current information). In general terms our governance information and our policies are published on the web-site, whilst internal administrative and management procedures are available on request in pdf format. Reasonable assistance will be given to enable any special accessibility requirements to be met.

1.  Web-site

Policies and procedures for the conduct of council business:

  • Procedural standing orders
  • Committee and sub-committee terms of reference (no present committees)
  • Delegated authority in respect of officers (none)
  • Code of Conduct

Policies relating to the delivery of services

  • Equality Diversity and Equal Opportunities policy
  • Risk Management policy
  • Policies for handling requests for information (see Document Management Policy)
  • Complaints policy (including those covering requests for information and operating the Publication Scheme)
  • Information Security policy – see Document Management policy  and Data Protection Policy
  • Document Management policy (records retention, destruction and archive)
  • Data Protection policy
  • GDPR Privacy notices 

2.  PDF format (on request) - internal administrative and management procedures:

  • GDPR consent form (where required)
  • Guidelines for Councillors – information and procedures for dealing with people’s ‘personal data’
  • Employment procedures (including recruitment process) and staff instructions and procedures
  • Disciplinary and grievance procedures
  • Guidance notes for Councillors on general conduct, and registering interests
  • Governance review

For schedule of charges, see above

Good Councillor Guide (order from NALC direct – see Council web-site for details; Council will order on request – re-imbursement of current price charged by NALC + postage required)

Class 6 – Lists and Registers

(Currently maintained lists and registers only).

  1.  Web-site – publicly available register or list:

  • Assets Register
  • Planning Register (link provided to Darlington Borough Council web-site)
  • (in “about” section of web-site) Register of members’ interests (link provided to Darlington Borough Council web-site)

2.  PDF format (on request) - publicly available register or list:

  • Defects Reports Register
  • Disclosure Log (indicating the information that has been provided in response to Freedom of Information Act requests)
  • Register of gifts and hospitality
  • Village Green Public Safety Risk Assessments and related reports

3.   Viewing in person (apply to Clerk for appointment):

  • Tree register (Note: it may be possible to provide identified extracts in hard copy)

Class 7 – The services we offer

(Information about the services we offer, including leaflets, guidance and newsletters produced for the public and businesses)  Current information only

  • Christmas lighting (Millennium Garden)
  • Defibrillator
  • Flotation device (in case of river accident)
  • Outdoor seating,
  • Public Shelter (the Pump House)
  • Village Green – recreational facilities (at individual’s own risk)

Hurworth Parish Council offers Neasham residents access to vacant allotments on a non-priority basis, and also has responsibility for the graveyard at All Saints Church, Hurworth, in whose ecclesiastical parish Neasham Village is situated.

This document was approved by Neasham Parish Council on 5 April 2022

Ref: 2022/04