The Parish Council

The Orchards and Margaret Marsh Joint Parish Council (Group) has seven members who, between them, represent East Orchards, West Orchards and Margaret Marsh parishes.

Meetings:The Parish Council normally meets quarterly, in February, May, August and November.  The May meeting also includes the Annual Parish Meeting and Annual General Meeting.   The meetings are held at Manston Village Hall, generally on the third Monday of the month, starting at 6:45pm.  Please check out the latest Agenda for specific dates and times. 

Agendas: are posted on the four parish notice boards and on the website, at least five working days before each meeting. Parish notice boards are located at the junction of Church Lane at Hartgrove, Vale Farm at West Orchard, next to the post box at East Orchard and opposite Church Lane junction at Margaret Marsh.

Public Participation: The public are invited and welcome to attend the meetings. There is a period set aside before the formal start of the meeting for members of the public to raise any concerns or ask questions. County Council ward members are also invited to present their report at the meeting. 

The Primary Aim: The Parish Council's role is to represent the interests of the local community. The Parish Council has limited powers to make decisions but can lobby, negotiate with, and sometimes influence organisations, such as the Dorset Councils when they are making decisions that affect residents. They are also a statutory consulted on local Planning Applications.

Funding: The Parish Council also has the power to raise money through taxation. This is known as the precept. The precept is the Parish Council’s share of the council tax. The precept demand goes to the billing authority, currently Dorset Council, which collects the tax for the Parish Council.

If you would like to become a member of the Parish Council please contact the Clerk 

Other Pages in this section:

  • Councillor Responsibilities 
  • Planning Applications
  • Policies and Procedures