Local Consultation

Published on September 24, 2023

Preparation for the local plan

The Vale of the White Horse and South Oxfordshire Councils are preparing a Joint Local Plan; Local Plans are revised every five years and they set out the Councils’ vision for development within their areas, including strategic and detailed planning policies and maps showing strategic and detailed sites for different types of development.

If you would like to see the current Vale of the White Horse Local Plan, go to:

https://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/vale-of-white-horse-district-council/planning-and-development/local-plan-and-planning-policies/local-plan-2031/.

We expect the Vale of the White Horse and South Oxfordshire Councils to consult publicly on their preferred options for future development in October 2023. If all goes to plan, that will be followed by public consultation on the draft Local Plan in summer 2024, submission of the Local Plan in early 2025, examination of the Local Plan by the Planning Inspector in summer 2025 and adoption by the end of 2025. The Adopted Local Plan will then guide development in the two Councils until the next revision.

At present Bourton is fairly well protected from development as it is an unidentified settlement in the open countryside and also a conservation area where there are restrictions on development. Your Parish Council will be keeping an eye on the policies coming forward in the Local Plan revision to see whether any changes in policy are likely to affect our village.

Land Use Consultants (a well know environmental company often known by the acronym LUC) is currently undertaking a landscape character assessment in the Vale. As part of this exercise LUC has invited anyone to contribute to their study by completing a questionnaire on the value you place on the landscape. The consultation closes on Friday 29 September.

We believe that the Councils will take LUC’s study into account when finalising their Joint Local Plan. So, this is an opportunity for you to let the Councils know what you value in the landscapes around us and how you think the landscape around us is changing. We would like as many of you respond to this questionnaire and let your voice be heard. You can access the LUC consultation here:

https://south-and-vale-landscape-character-assessment-luc.hub.arcgis.com/.

We’ve included some screen shots from the LUC webpage in the attached file to step through the information presented and the guidance they have provided to help you answer the short questionnaire.

LUC consultation

Bourton Parish Council

23 September 2023

Annual Statutory Documents

The Parish Council (PC) is required to prepare and publish these documents following the end of each financial year. They comprise five main sections:

Certificate of Exemption

Small parish councils are exempt from a detailed annual audit by an external auditor. The definition of a ‘small’ council is annual gross income of less than £25,000; Bourton PC’s annual income falls well within this threshold. This form confirms the PC’s annual income and its exemption from an external audit.

Annual Internal Audit Report

Although exempt from an external audit, the PC’s affairs are still subject to an internal audit by a qualified individual independent of the PC. This is the auditor’s summary report.

Annual Governance Statement

This form deals with the standard of internal controls and general governance standards within the PC throughout the year.

Accounting Statements

This is the summary financial report for the PC for the financial year. It also includes commentary on any significant variances from the previous year’s financial results and a balance sheet reconciliation with bank accounts.

Notice of Public Rights

This notice sets out the rights of local electors to review and query the PC’s statutory returns, including the contact details of the internal auditor.