Welcome to the website of the Hope with Aston Parish Council. The information we put on the website has a number of purposes and audiences. We are providing information in part for all those who might need to know about or to visit Hope, Aston and the Hope Valley. We are also aiming to provide a site with information which is useful to the residents of Hope and Aston. And most critically, this website contains information about the activities of the Parish Council as a representative of those residents, as part of being accountable to the community we represent.
Parish Councils are the lowest tier of local government, above which are District or Borough and County Councils. Parish in this context refers to a civil parish, which is a geographical area for which a specific Parish Council is responsible. It is not the same as a church parish, and a Parish Council has no relationship with or involvement in the church. A Parish Council will usually cover a village and its surrounding countryside. In the case of Hope with Aston, it covers an area around the two villages stretching from part of the Kinder plateau in the north down to a section of the cement works in the south, and up to the summits of both Win Hill and Lose Hill.
Parish Councillors are elected every four years, the whole Council being elected at the same time. Vacancies arising during the Council’s lifespan are filled either by co-opting a new member or, if required, holding an election. The maximum permitted number of Councillors depends on the number of electors in the Parish. Hope with Aston has nine Councillors, whose names are listed on this site under ‘Members’.
A Parish Council only has powers that are specifically given to it by statute. It has no authority to do, and is prohibited from doing, anything that is not included in these powers. To see Parish Councils’ powers visit https://www.nalc.gov.uk/about-local-councils. Parish Councils have no powers with regard to planning matters; the planning authority for Hope with Aston is the Peak District National Park. However Hope with Aston Parish Council do see and comment to the planning authority on planning applications within the Parish. It is possible to see all current planning applications and planning decisions via the Peak Park planning application tool.
Hope with Aston Parish Council holds monthly meetings on the second Monday of each month at 19.30 in the Old School on School Lane. Notice of all meetings, which include the Agenda, is given on the Council notice boards as well as on this site. Members of the public are entitled to attend meetings, but not to participate in the meeting or to address the Council other than in a section of the meeting specifically reserved for this purpose. Minutes of previous meetings of the Council are made available on this site. Once a year there is an annual meeting which all residents are invited to attend.
The Parish Council is financed by means of a Precept. The Precept is an amount which the Parish Council requests from the District Council and which the District Council raises by including it on the council tax of the householders in the Parish. The Council’s accounts are subject to annual audit by an auditor appointed by the Audit Commission.
Anyone wishing to raise matters with the Council should do so by writing to The Clerk, Hope with Aston Parish Council, 28 Castleton Road, Hope, Derbyshire S33 6RD, mobile 07971 195596 or by email to clerk@hopewithastonparishcouncil.co.uk.