On 1st April 2019 Barnham and Eastergate Parish Council was established. The new Council was formed following a Community Governance Review that approved the merger of the previous Barnham Parish Council and Eastergate Parish Council.
The new Council consists of 13 Members - 12 members representing Barnham and Eastergate and 1 member representing the section of Fontwell village that sits within the Parish boundary. A list of the current Councillors can be found on the Parish Councillors page together with email contact details.
The Council holds regular Full Council meetings and also has a separate Planning & Environment Committee.
The Council has responsibility for the Eastergate Pavilion, the war memorial, street lights and street furniture and recreation and playground facilities at Murrell's Field and Eastergate Field. Other playgrounds and green spaces are managed by Arun District Council.
The Council owns Barnham Community Hall. but it is run and managed by Barnham & Eastergate Community Trust under a Licence to Operate with the Council.
The Proper Officer of the Council is the Clerk, Alison Crabb, who is also the Responsible Financial Officer. The Clerk works remotely 20 hours per week with core hours being Monday to Thursday 9.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. The Clerk is also responsible for providing advice to Councillors on the conduct of meetings, the legality of any decisions taken and the code of conduct. She is supported by two Assistant Clerks.
Assistant Clerk (Planning), Gemma Hindson, works 15 hours per week and is based at Barnham Community Hall. Her core hours are Tuesday to Thursday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Gemma will Clerk the Council's Planning & Environment Committee and will also be available during those hours for any Parish Council enquiries members of the public may have.
Assistant Clerk (Community), Nina McMaster, is based at Eastergate Village Hall and works full-time, splitting her time between managing Eastergate Village Hall for Barnham and Eastergate Community Trust and managing Eastergate Sports Pavilion and other community related facilities and events for the Parish Council.
The Clerk can be contacted via email: clerk@barnhamandeastergate-pc.gov.uk
The Assistant Clerk (Planning) email: planning@barnhamandeastergate-pc.gov.uk
The Assistant Clerk (Community) can be contacted via email: assistantclerk@barnhamandeastergate-pc.gov.uk
The current precept figure is £171,429 (£72.04 per eligible Council Tax paying household)d these funds together with rental income from Barnham and Eastergate Community Trust and users of the Sports Pavilion will be used to run the affairs of the Council.
Full Council meetings and Planning & Environment Committee meetings will be held on a Tuesday evening at Barnham Community Hall, usually starting at 7:30 p.m. A full timetable of the meetings has now been agreed. The Council has also established Working Parties and Sub-Committees to manage specific areas of the Council's work and an organisation chart has now been produced to show the full structure of the Council.
Please note draft minutes of meetings are published on the website as soon as possible after the meeting but are of course subject to final approval and publication on the website once the chairman has signed at the subsequent meeting.