Mary Tavy Parish Council
The Parish Council is a small local authority. Its nine Councillors are elected for four years at a time. Vacancies occurring between elections are filled by by-election (if requested) or co-option. Each year, the Councillors choose a Chair from amongst their number. There is also a Vice-Chair and a Clerk, who is the Proper Officer and the Responsible Finance Officer of the Council.
Parish Councils have a number of formal powers and can do things either by providing them itself, or by helping someone else, for example a charity or volunteers, financially to do so. Parish Councils have the power to improve the quality of community life by spending sums of money on things which, in its opinion, are in the interests of the parish or its inhabitants.
Councils are also the focal point for local consultation on matters such as the strategy documents of other public organisations, including the Borough and County Councils and the Dartmoor National Park Authority and on planning applications. The Parish Council can represent the village’s views to other authorities.
Mary Tavy Parish Council meets on the second Tuesday of every month in the Coronation Hall, commencing at 7.00pm with the first 15 minutes available for parishioners to raise any points. Committee meetings are held as and when required. Annual parish meetings are held in April.