Cerne Valley Parish Council
Cerne Valley Parish Council is a group parish, covering Cerne Abbas, Godmanstone, Nether Cerne and Up Cerne. There are almost 800 people on the electoral role, and the parish council administers, on their behalf, Cerne Abbas Burial Ground, the children's playground in Duck Street, and 60 allotment gardens, all in Cerne Abbas.
Separate committees cover each of these services and a Footpath and Environment Committee deals with most other issues. Whilst the parish council has no planning powers, it has to be consulted on new proposals in its area. Planning Committees are called, as required, to consider the council's response to local planning applications when time is set aside to hear the views of applicants, and neighbours may express their views.
The parish council meets in alternate months, starting in January each year and local residents are encouraged to attend and ask questions or make comments.
There are 12 parish councillors for the area, and their details are set out in the
membership list (pdf, 204kb) (opens in a new window) 
. A parish council
leaflet (pdf, 123kb) (opens in a new window) is also produced.
Dates for your diary
| Date | Time | Meeting | Room | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 July 2011 | 7pm | Planning/Cerne Valley Parish Council | Godmanstone Village Hall | |
| 8 Sept 2011 | 7pm | Planning/Cerne Valley Parish Council | Meeting Room | Cerne Abbas Village Hall |
In March 2007, Cerne Valley Parish Council was awarded Quality Status, only the third local council in Dorset to achieve this, and the first small Parish Council. This award, which recognises high standards in the way the Parish Council is run and the extent to which it engages with local residents, helped cement good working relationships with the county and district councils.
Chairman Peter Smith said at the time: "I am proud of the council's achievements and standards of service. For several years now, the parish council has been keeping local people better informed about what it does, and consulting them wherever possible. Our Parish Plan has brought practical benefits to our villages, our excellent working relationship with district and county council members and officers results in early resolution of many issues of local concern, and this has brought a number of environmental improvements.
"Besides generating civic pride in what the parish council does, the award should ensure that both district and county councils listen more closely and respond more quickly to our views and requests. Also, legislation currently going through Parliament will create new opportunities to take on more local responsibilities, and should increase the level of grants available to the parish council for local projects."
The most recent
Annual Report (pdf, 369kb) (opens in a new window) of the council, its
accounts (pdf, 154kb) (opens in a new window) and
balance sheet (pdf, 148kb) (opens in a new window) are all available to download.
-
Godmanstone
Godmanstone is a village of about 60 homes to the South of Cerne Abbas, lying in the Cerne Valley alongside the River Cerne. It is a fairly small parish of only 474 hectares, almost all to the west side of the road and river.
- Cerne Valley Parish Council minutes
- Allotment Committee Minutes 2009 & 2010
- Burial Committee Minutes 2009 - 2011
- Finance Committee Minutes 2009 - 2011
- Footpath and Environment Committee minutes 2009 - 2011
- Planning Committee minutes 2009 - 2011
- Playground committee minutes 2009 & 2010
- Parish council publication scheme
Model Publication scheme for Local Authorities
-
Parish Clerk
Name: Andrea Schafer
Email: cernevalley@dorsetparishes.gov.uk
Tel: 01300 341464
Full details for Andrea Schafer
