Parish Council

What is the Parish Council?

Stokenham Parish Council is the parish authority, the first rung of local government before South Hams District Council and Devon County Council. The thirteen councillors are elected every 4 years, and are all volunteers – the council’s only paid employee is the Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer.

What do Parish Councils do?

Parish Councils provide some local services, support local organizations and give a voice to local concerns. In Stokenham we look after the small number of assets we own (e.g. bus shelters, Helmer’s Meadow in Chillington), we monitor the provision of bus services, and we watch over footpaths, bridlepaths and rights of way.

Standing up for Nature and the Environment

Stokenham Parish Council is an ardent defender of the natural environment and the South Devon AONB: we send representatives to the Kingsbridge & Salcombe Estuary Conservation Forum, Sustainable South Hams, The Slapton Line Partnership, Chillington Woodland Volunteers, and FSC Slapton National Nature Reserve. We try to monitor developments in the Parish to ensure they comply with the various environmental protections provided by the law.

A local Voice on Planning

We are statutory consultees on planning matters, which means we have the right to be heard on all planning applications, from a kitchen extension to a barn conversion, and from the change of use of a field to the introduction of a major housing development. We are generally supportive of SHDC’s development policies and see it as our role to ensure they are applied correctly

Where and when does Parish Council meet?

We meet every month, except August, on the third Thursday of the month (save for December’s meeting, which is on the second Thursday) in Stokenham Parish Hall, unless announced otherwise. Meetings start at 7.30pm and should not last longer than two hours. The agenda and meeting notices are posted here. All meetings are open to the public: anyone is welcome to attend, and raise questions during Open Forum at the beginning of the meeting.

How do I get involved?

Please contact Gill Claydon to enquire about vacancies or other opportunities to help out with Parish Council work.