Cannington Parish Council
Terms of Reference for the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group

This policy was adopted by Cannington Parish Council at their meeting held on 11th February 2014.

This was amended by Cannington Parish Council at their meeting held on 9th September 2014.

The Cannington Parish Council has agreed to establish a Steering Group to research, develop and make recommendations with a view to establishing a Neighbourhood Plan addressing the future needs of the Parish of Cannington.

  1. Purpose

The main purpose of the Steering Group is to oversee the preparation of the Neighbourhood Plan for the Parish of Cannington, ensuring all issues are addressed properly, with high levels of community engagement to maximise the potential that the Plan will be supported at the local referendum.

The Steering Group will appoint a Chairman and Deputy Chairman from the Group’s members.

The Group will be financially and administratively supported by the Cannington Parish Council.

  1. Key Roles
  • To be accountable for steering and providing strategic management of the Neighbourhood Plan for the Parish of Cannington, by ensuring the key milestones are met.
  • Agree a position on specific issues to lead to an agreed policy approach
  • Encourage and strengthen links between key organisations and ensure they are informed of the work and progress with the Neighbourhood Plan.
  • To promote engagement in the Neighbourhood Plan for Parish of Cannington Council
  • To commission specific areas of evidence and analysis as required including residents’ surveys.
  •  To sign off the final draft plan for ratification by the Cannington Parish Council prior to submission for inspection and the local referendum
  •  To act as the public face and main contacts with the local communities for the Neighbourhood Plan.
  •  To provide strategic assistance and advice in the production of the Neighbourhood Plan.
  • To bring together appropriate local expertise and facilitate joint community working in developing the Neighbourhood Plan for the Parish of Cannington.
  1. Meetings

The Steering Group will meet at least monthly, or as required. Agendas for and minutes of meetings to be made available to the public. The meetings are to be open to the public who may contribute by mutual consent.

  1. Membership

The membership of the Steering Group will be formed from Parish Councillors and local members of the community who can bring value to the project. In addition the Steering Group may be supplemented by representation from Sedgemoor District Council and Somerset County Council. The Steering Group may also co-opt further representation from residents of the Parish or from persons who have a business in the Parish.

  1. Openness

Details of any assistance offered by any party must be declared publicly and should not be seen to compromise the integrity of the direction of the plan.

All members of the Steering Group must declare any personal interest that may be perceived as being relevant to any decisions or recommendations made by the group. This may include membership of an organisation, ownership of interest in land or a business or indeed any other matter likely to be relevant to the work undertaken by the Steering Group.

  1. Variations

The Terms of reference will be continually reviewed during the life of the project and relevant amendments will be made following either recommendations by the Steering Group to the Parish Council or directly by the Parish Council. The Parish Council’s decisions on the terms of reference for the Steering Group are final in cases of any disagreement.

  1. Reporting

The Steering Group will report on a monthly basis its findings and progress to the Parish Council including the ongoing budgetary implications associated with the project.

  1. Budget

Cannington Parish Council will be responsible for the funding of the work for the Cannington Neighbourhood Plan.

  1. Quorum

To be quorate there should be a minimum of fifty percent of the group present or if the membership is below eight a minimum of four members present.

Steering Group                                                         Parish Council