In England it is a legal requirement that every parish must hold an Annual Parish Meeting sometime between 1st March and 1st June, with proceedings not starting before 6pm. In West Wratting we do this in May, immediately before the Parish Council Annual Meeting, which is then followed by the ordinary Parish Council meeting.
The Annual Parish Meeting – also known as the Annual Meeting of the Parish or the Annual Parish Assembly – is open to all electors of West Wratting, who have the right not only to attend but also to speak on any matter of local interest. It is a legacy from the Middle Ages, when Local Councils did not exist and all local decision making was carried out by meetings of the whole community, usually taking place in the church vestry. Its purpose is to bring the community together to provide an annual account of what has been happening in the community and the Parish Council.
The Annual Parish Meeting is not a parish council meeting and is not governed by the same rules as a parish council meeting. In fact the Annual Parish Meeting should be a relatively informal event for the community, where members of the public are permitted to make statements on relevant matters. Any resolutions passed do not bind the Parish Council.
At the Parish Meeting the Parish Council reports to its electorate on its activities over the last year and there may also be reports from County Councillors and perhaps from any voluntary or local community groups. It is also an opportunity for parishioners to question people and organisations on any issues relating to the village.
If there is a Parish Council, the Chairman of the Parish Council (or Vice-Chair if the Chairman is unable to attend) must convene the meeting and preside. The chairman must sign the agenda, not the Parish Clerk. The Annual Parish Meeting has its own minutes that are kept separately from the Council minutes. They can only be approved by the next Annual Parish Meeting which will take place 12 months later. It is good practice therefore to bring the draft minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting to the next convenient Parish Council meeting, otherwise matters are unlikely to be progressed; however it’s important that the Council does not actually approve those minutes as they do not belong to the Council.