Parish Council

Contents

Parish Council Role

Cockfield Parish Council represents the first tier of local government and is responsible for the administration of the parish.

By an Act of Parliament it is authorised to raise and spend public money in the parish. This is called the precept and is collected through the District Council as part of Council Tax.

The Council has 9 members, elected every four years, and is supported by a Clerk who is the officer in law and the financial officer.

The Parish Council meets (Ordinary Parish Council Meetings) in the Village Hall ten times a year at 7.30 pm normally on the last Thursday of every month (except August and December). The Parish Council meet on an ad-hoc basis (Extraordinary Parish Council Meetings or Planning Sub-Committee Meetings) as required.

Members of the public are very welcome to attend and to speak on any matters of concern. These meetings are attended by the Suffolk County Council member, Cllr Robert Lindsay and the Babergh District Council member(s) Lavenham Ward, Cllr Margaret Maybury and/or Cllr Paul Clover.

The Parish Council owns and is responsible for:

Great Green
The Pocket, Great Green
Parsonage Green
Cross Green
Earl’s Meadow
Jeffreys Green
Glebe Land & Allotments
Bruff’s Line
The Cemetery
The War Memorial
The Pavilion and Storage Barn on Great Green
Klargester and Heating Unit for Pavilion
The children’s Adventure Playground and equipment on Great Green
Bandstand Shelter on Great Green
The pond on Great Green
The Water Pump on Great Green
The Beacon and Flag Pole on the Great Green
Bus Shelters
Telephone Boxes
Storage Sheds in Earls Meadow
Seats
Notice Boards
Dog Bins & Litter Bins
Mini SIDs (Speed Indicator Devices)
Defibrillator at the Village Hall
Grass Cutting Equipment
The Village Sign

The Parish Council acts as the consultee for all planning applications in the village. It is responsible for the planting and maintenance of trees in public spaces, the maintenance of footpaths and liaising with Suffolk County Council on Highways matters, snow clearance when necessary, and dog fouling. It keeps a watchful eye on other services which may affect parishioners.

From time to time it conducts surveys, with the help of other bodies, to assess needs, with particular reference to affordable and local needs housing.

The Council is a member of the Suffolk Association of Local Councils and sends delegates to quarterly and other meetings. Members attend various training sessions which are arranged by SALC.

An Annual Parish Meeting is held at which the Parish Council, the County Councillor and District Councillor(s), together with representatives of the various village organisations give their reports. The latest Agenda, Minutes and Reports are available on this page.

Parish Council Members

Ian Levett (Chairman)
Janne Cutting-Keyton (Vice-Chairman)
Dale Baber
Joe Brinkley
Sarah Fletcher
Andrew Golding
Nic Knight
Robin Morley
Ralph Turner
The Clerk to the Council: Steve Ball

To contact any member of the Cockfield Parish Council, please email parish.council@cockfield.org.uk

Or write to:

Cockfield Parish Council
Green Ridge
Howe Lane
Cockfield
Bury St Edmunds
IP30 0HA

Tel: 01284 828987

Parish Councillor Responsibilities

Working Groups
Greens, Pavilion & Play Equipment Management Group	Cllr J Brinkley (Chairman/Lead Member)
	Cllr Morley
	Cllr Golding
	Cllr Knight
Local Needs Housing Group	Cllr Morley (Chairman/Lead Member)
	Cllr Cutting-Keyton
Planning Consultation Group	Cllr Cutting-Keyton (Chairman//Lead Member)
	Cllr Levett
	Cllr Morley
	Cllr J Brinkley
	Cllr Golding
Neighbourhood CIL Working Group	Cllr Morley (Chairman/Lead Member)
	Cllr Baber
	Cllr Cutting-Keyton
	Cllr Levett
Village Website & Community Broadcasts Working Group	Cllr Baber (Chairman)
	Cllr Cutting-Keyton
	The Clerk
Representatives to External Bodies
Suffolk Association of Local Councils (SALC)	Cllr Knight
Village Hall Management Committee	Cllr Morley
Babergh DC Town and Parish Liaison Meetings	Cllr Levett
	Reserve - Cllr Cutting-Keyton
United Charities: Trustees	Mr T Box (Chairman)
	Cllr Morley
	Mrs B Ruffell
	Mr D Bayes
	Revd Canon S Potter
Council Officers
Tree Warden	Cllr Morley
Dog Warden	Cllr Fletcher
Highways	Cllr Cutting-Keyton
Emergencies Team	Cllr Levett (Chairman/Lead Member)
	Cllr Cutting-Keyton
	The Clerk
Litter Warden	Cllr Fletcher
Press Officer	The Clerk
Bank Signatories	Cllr Levett
	Cllr Morley
	Cllr Cutting-Keyton
	Cllr Golding
Finance Councillor	Cllr Turner
Councillor Portfolio-Holders
Footpaths	Cllr Baber
Earl's Meadow/Bruffs Line/Jeffreys Green	Cllr Morley
Glebe Land/Allotments	Cllr Levett (Chairman/Lead Member)
	Cllr Morley
	Cllr Fletcher
Cemetery Management	Cllr Turner
Insurance	Cllr Levett
	Mr S Ball
Speed Monitoring Devices	Cllr Turner
	Cllr Baber
Pavilion Lettings	Cllr Golding

Parish Council News

Neighbourhood CIL Report

The Certified Cockfield Parish Neighbourhood CIL Expenditure Report to year end 31st March 2024 has been submitted to BMSDC and is available to view via the attached link.

Neighbourhood CIL Annual Expenditure Report 2023-2024

Neighbourhood CIL Reports for previous years are available to view via the attached links.

Neighbourhood CIL Annual Expenditure Report 2022-2023

Neighbourhood CIL Annual Expenditure Report 2021-2022

Neighbourhood CIL Annual Expenditure Report 2020-2021

Neighbourhood CIL Annual Expenditure Report 2019-2020

Neighbourhood CIL Annual Expenditure Report 2018-2019

Notice of Public Rights & AGAR 2023-24

Notice of Public Rights & publication of Unaudited Annual Governance & Accountability Return for the year ended 31 March 2024 is available to view via the attached link.

Exercise of Public Rights to the AGAR 2023-24 and Accounts

2023-24 AGAR

AGAR 2023-24

Parish Council Procedures

Parish Council Financial Regulations

Neighbourhood CIL Annual Expenditure Report 2022-2023

Parish Council Standing Orders

In June 2014 Cockfield Parish Council conducted a survey of all households in the Parish, to canvass the opinion of residents regarding growth and development over the period to 2031.

The analysis of the survey responses and the conclusions drawn are presented in a report which can be viewed or downloaded here:

Cockfield Planning & Development Survey Report 2014

The results of the survey have been lodged with Babergh District Council (our local Planning Authority) and will be held for reference when considering future planning applications.

Emergency Preparedness in Cockfield

Over the past year we have received national news coverage of significant isolation and disruption to communities all over the UK as a result of severe flooding and snowfalls. Locally we have seen disruption caused by industrial and domestic fires.

Fortunately Cockfield has escaped the worst effects of these events, but the continuing news stories remind us of our need to be prepared in case it happens here as well!

Generally, the emergency services, supported by the Local Authority and other agencies, manage and control the response, but clearly there will be times when their resources are stretched and unable to provide immediate support and local self help may be required.

Community Emergency Plans are intended to help local communities prepare for emergencies in a way that complements and supports the emergency services and other agencies in their responses and, more locally, to enable our own community, if isolated, to think about how we can pull together.

In conjunction with the District Council Emergency Planning Officers, Cockfield Parish Council has produced an Emergency Plan for our village.

The objective is to identify potential problems, for example not only flooding (not a major risk in our village) and heavy snow falls, but also extended power cuts, other extreme weather effects or other events that may leave us isolated and temporarily vulnerable, and to see what resources, skills and equipment could be made available locally to help in emergency situations. We are also keen to identify people or areas particularly at risk so that we can focus help where it is most needed.

We have an Emergency Co-ordinator and we have divided the village into six areas, each of which has its own Area Emergency Co-ordinator who will act as a link between the community and the Co-ordinator. We have identified a number of people who have volunteered their services in the event of an emergency, but we still need the help of everyone in coming forward and volunteering their particular skills which could be helpful in an emergency situation, be it emergency, trade or voluntary work skills, ownership and proficient users of off roaders / 4x4s, chain saws, lifting gear or generators and so on, or simply those who are prepared to look out for their more vulnerable neighbours.

The Emergency Plan has been lodged with the Suffolk Joint Emergency Planning Team and we will ‘go live’ in the near future and communicate details to the village.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Compliance

Consent Form

Data and Records Retention Policy

Data Protection Policy

Privacy Notice - General

Publication Scheme

Data Privacy Protection

For the purposes of the 2018 General Data Protection Regulation, the Parish Council has registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office. A copy of the current registration certificate can be viewed or downloaded below:

Data Protection Registration Certificate 2024-25

Parish Council Reports

Attendance at Parish Council Meetings

Public Attendance at Parish Council Meetings

Parish Council and Annual Parish Meeting Dates

Meeting Dates 2024/25
5th January 2024 – Extraordinary Meeting of the Parish Council
25th January 2024 – Ordinary Meeting of the Parish Council
29th February 2024 – Ordinary Meeting of the Parish Council
28th March 2024 – Ordinary Meeting of the Parish Council
25th April 2024 – Ordinary Meeting of the Parish Council
16th May 2024 – Annual Parish Meeting (Not a Parish Council Meeting)
23rd May 2024 – Annual Meeting of the Parish Council (AGM)
27th June – Ordinary Meeting of the Parish Council
25th July 2024 – Ordinary Meeting of the Parish Council
August – No Ordinary Meeting of the Parish Council scheduled
26th September 2024 – Ordinary Meeting of the Parish Council
31st October 2024 – Ordinary Meeting of the Parish Council
28th November 2024 – Ordinary Meeting of the Parish Council
December 2024 – No Ordinary Meeting of the Parish Council scheduled