Hawkhurst Parish Council aims to listen to residents and play a vital part in representing the interests of the communities we serve and improving the quality of life in the parish. Whilst we are the lowest tier of local government, Parliament has granted Parish Councils the power to spend money on a variety of services and we have wide powers to choose what action to take on behalf of the community.
The Parish Council does not receive general government grants. The Council has the authority to raise money through a precept which is added to Council Tax Bills, and to make charges for services such as hall hire and burials. The Council is must not have a deficit and is not permitted to borrow for any purpose unless it is supported in a local referendum.
Hawkhurst Parish Council has 13 councillors representing around 5,000 residents. Elections are held every four years. The Parish Council directly employs a clerk, finance officer and village warden. The council is based in The Office at the Moor, Hawkhurst, Kent TN18 4NT and is open to visitors 9.30 to 12.30 Monday to Friday.
The Full Council meets once a month. The Council also has a Strategy, Administration and Policy Committee, Facilities and Services Committee and Planning Committee.
The public assets, Hawkhurst Parish Council is responsible for include:
- Allotments
- Hensil
- Ockley
- Copt Hall community centre
- King George V Playing Field
- Sports Pavilion & Community Centre
- Muti-use Games Area
- Children’s Playground
- Pitches
- The Moor
- Hawkhurst Cemetery
- Heartenoak
- Playing Fields
- Children’s Playground
- Streetlights (but not those next to major roads which are Kent County Council)
- The Office at the Moor – the Parish office
- Victoria Hall – currently leased to the Kino Cinema and cafe
- Village centre planters and hanging baskets
- War memorial at the Highgate cross roads
- Fowlers Wood – a field saved from development, now a rewilded wood with a public right of way through it.
Higher tiers of local government covering Hawkhurst are: Tunbridge Wells Borough Council; and, Kent County Council. They have legal duties to deliver services such as refuse collection, education, housing, planning, transport, environmental health and social services.