Parish Council achieves Quality Parish status

Published 7 June 2005

Out of more than 170 parish and town councils in the county of Staffordshire, Abbots Bromley is the eighth to achieve accreditation as a “Quality Council”.

The status was introduced by the government in an attempt to promote best practice in the first tier of local government. To achieve the award a Council must meet each of seven separate criteria that are considered to reflect good practice.

One of the key tests is having a qualified Clerk and the work needed to achieve this certification is the most time consuming element of the preparations for most Councils.

Across the UK, Abbots Bromley is the 162nd Quality Council – out of more than 10,000 local councils eligible to qualify for that status.

Speaking on behalf of the Parish Council, Chairman Philip Charles said, “We are delighted to receive this independent recognition of the quality of our work and we believe that it reflects the dedication and hard work put in by both Clerk and Councillors. The process of preparing our application helped challenge our thinking about how the Council should operate, and required us to make some positive changes to the way we work, including the introduction of regular surgeries. However, we have no reason to be complacent, and recognise that there will always be further opportunities to improve the way that we communicate and consult with the electorate. We therefore hope to build on this success rather than rest on our laurels.”

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