Parish Room
The Council comprises 15 Councillors who are elected by Parishioners and are required to adhere to a code of conduct to uphold standards of public office. They are unpaid and give up their time to benefit the community.
The Council is the tier of local government closest to local communities and it meets to agree action, policies and/or commit expenditure for the benefit of the parish of Martlesham.
The Councillors are supported by the Clerk to the Council and a team who are trained to high professional standards so that they can advise the council about their legal and statutory duties. Our Clerk also acts as our responsible financial officer to manage expenditure in accordance with legal requirements.
To manage the work the Council has committees to focus on more detailed aspects. Martlesham has 3 committees namely:
- Development Plans, to deal with planning and related consultations;
- Recreation and Amenities, to deal with providing and maintaning facilities in the parish, and
- Finance and General Purposes, to help manage financial and legal matters.
All Council and Committee meetings are open to the public and there is usually an agenda item where the public may raise matters of concern.
We also have a number of working groups to address specific issues. Current working groups are:
- - Portal Woodlands Conservation Group. This manages the work programmes and educational activities carried out to the benefit of all users of the area.
- - Working Group for Martlesham Common. This group was set up to help integrate Mill Heath with The Common. It also works closely with the Greenways group on management plans for the area using volunteers and professional assistance from time to time funded by the Recreations and Amenities committee budget when grants are not available. We have had grants in the past from Butterfly Conservation to help with the management of Bracken.
- - Playspace Sports Fund working group. This group has been created to assess the demand for sports facilities and determine how any funding might best be spent.
The chairman calls a Parish meeting at least once a year (usually in April) to explain the work of the Council and to gather views which might guide the Council in its workplan.
Current Councillors: Mr M I O'Brien Baker, Miss J I L Bear, Mr C Blundell, Mr L Brome, Mr L W Burrows, Mr M Calver, Mr E Crichton, Mr S Denton, Mrs Drummond, Mr J Forbes, Mr M Irwin (Chairman), Mr J Kelso, Mr R F Staines, Mr E Thompson, Mr W J Welch (Vice Chairman),
Clerk: Mrs S Robertson.
Deputy Clerk: Mrs D Linsley
Officer: Mrs D Chappell
Administration Assistant: Mrs L Woodhouse