Your Council

The full Council meets about eleven times a year to deliver speedy and transparent decisions, supported by appropriate committees. Council and Committee meetings are open to the public and are either held in the Village Hall or the Council Room, details of which can be found on the meetings page. The Council is made up of 13 members, 3 of whom represent Liss Forest, members are elected by the parish every four years. The Councillors are unpaid volunteers and anyone in or connected with the village can put themselves forward for election. They are responsible for the work of the Parish Council and also champion the village in dealing with the other tiers of local government and other outside bodies.

Parish (and town) councils are the first tier of local government, the "grass roots" level of local democracy, they play a significant role in the local community.

The constitutional position of the Parish Council is established primarily by the Local Government Act 1972 and other related legislation, which set out its own powers and duties. The procedures of the Parish Council are then detailed in its Standing Orders, Financial Regulations and other governance documents.

In addition other local government services are administered by either East Hampshire District Council or Hampshire County Council with the addition of some planning and countryside services administered by the South Downs National Park Authority. Each of these bodies have different statutory responsibilities but all work closely together

The Council is supported by a Parish Clerk, the chief paid officer of the Council, who is responsible for implementing the Council's decisions, administration of the Council's affairs and advising the Council on matters of law, procedure and policy. The Council is required to have a Responsible Finance Officer to look after its finances, and we also employ an Assistant Clerk, Groundsman, venue Caretakers and Litter Picker.

The Parish Council is responsible for the maintenance of the Village Hall, the Liss Pavilion, the Newman Collard recreation ground, West Liss recreation ground, Liss Forest recreation ground, including the provision of play equipment on these areas, numerous allotments and a section of the Riverside Railway Walk (the remainder is maintained by East Hants District Council and Countryside Volunteers).

The Council works hard to represent parishioners, for example, engaging with the National Park Authority and East Hampshire District Council on planning applications, and with Hampshire County Council on highway and transport matters. Key to the work of the council is community engagement. Members of the public are welcome to attend meetings, to drop into the Council Office behind the Village Hall, to get in touch with councillors directly or to communicate via our Facebook site or by Twitter.

Consultation

LPC is consulted by East Hampshire District Council, Hampshire County Council and the South Downs National Park Authority on many of their services and policies. In particular the Parish Council acts in an advisory capacity to the district council on planning applications affecting the village and the county council on local highways issues. It has also, in its own right, commented extensively on the South Downs National Park Local Plan. Liss is now a gateway to the South Downs National Park.

Grounds Maintenance

Our groundsman, along with the use of outside contractors, maintain West Liss, Newman Collard and Liss Forest Recreation grounds. All three areas have play areas with a range of equipment. We also maintain the first compartment of Riverside Walk which is in direct ownership of Liss Parish Council, from the entrance at Station Road to the end of the picnic area. A litter picker works part-time to support the EHDC contractor, concentrating on the centre of the village and main roads.

Rents and Bookings

The Council is responsible for managing Liss Village Hall, the Liss Pavilion and six allotment sites. A Caretaker is responsible for the maintenance of Liss Village Hall and the Liss Pavilion.

Community Support

The Council works closely with community groups throughout the village and through its grants scheme gives support to many of them, and to local projects.

Neighbourhood Plan and Supporting Documents

The Council has prepared a Liss Neighbourhood Development Plan which was adopted by the planning authority, the South Downs National Park Authority, in 2017 as part of the statutory development plan for Liss. This is supported by the Village Design Statement which has been adopted by the South Downs National Park Authority as a Supplementary Planning Guidance (2014). Also important are the Liss Landscape Character Assessment (2007) and the Liss Parish Plan (2018).

Publications

The Council produces a regular newsletter, the "Village Voice" giving information about your community.