COUNCIL RULES, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Resumé of Contents

1. Council Instructions
2. Parish Bye-laws
3. Freedom of Information Act
4. Disability Discrimination Act
5. Clean Neighbourhood and Environment Act 2004

Council Approved Instructions

These instructions are in five parts:

1. Standing Orders
2. Financial Regulations
3. Code of Conduct
4. Complaints Procedure
5. Risk Management Policy

Parish Bye-laws

The Parish Bye-laws are published here for general information. Children must not play in the Play Park after dusk.

APPLICATION OF CERTAIN NEWER ACTS

Freedom of Information Act

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 received Royal Assent on 30 November 2000. A copy of the Act is available from the HMSO website. A copy of the explanatory notes published with the Act is also available on their site.
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides clear statutory rights for those requesting information, together with a strong enforcement regime. Under the terms of the Act, any member of the public will be able to apply for access to information held by bodies across the public sector.
The legislation will apply to a wide range of public authorities, including Parliament, Government Departments and local authorities, health trusts, doctors' surgeries, publicly funded museums and thousands of other organisations. That includes this Council. Information is available from The Parish Clerk.

The main features of the Act include a general right of access to information held by public authorities in the course of carrying out their public functions, subject to certain conditions and exemptions; in most cases where information is exempted from disclosure, there is a duty on public authorities to disclose where, in the view of the public authority, the public interest in disclosure outweighs the public interest in maintaining the exemption in question; a new office of Information Commissioner and a new Information Tribunal, with wide powers to enforce the rights created; a duty imposed on public authorities to adopt a scheme for the publication of information. The schemes, which must be approved by the Commissioner, will specify the classes of information the authority intends to publish, the manner of publication and whether the information is available to the public free of charge or on payment of a fee. For more information see the website of the Office of The Information Commissioner

Disability Discrimination Act and how it affects playgrounds

The DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) process started in 1995, with the general aim to enable those with all kinds of disability (not just those in wheelchairs), the same access to play equipment as those without disabilities. The final part of the Act came into effect in October 2004, when in Rearsby reasonable measures have been made by the Parish Council as a playground provider. The Act makes it unlawful for a service provider to discriminate against any person, who has a disability, by refusing to provide (or by deliberately not providing) any service to members of the public. The Act emphasises the importance arrangements for people of different disabilities, not just those in wheelchairs. In order to provide a framework for progress, monthly playground audits are conducted by members of the Parish Council during the overall monthly inspection. Any person wanting clarification of this Act is requested to contact the Parish Clerk.

Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2004

The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill was published on 8 December 2004 and received Royal Assent on 7 April 2005.

This document provides interim guidance on the measures contained within the Act that commence on 7 June 2005, and relate to nuisance vehicles, litter, advertisements, waste and noise. It sets out in simple terms the aim of the measures and provides a commentary on each section. Where applicable it also sets out related legislation that could be used to cover similar issues.
For a summary of the Outline Measures, illuminate the black dot below.

Legal Assistance

Advice for anyone requiring legal assistance

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