FAQs
We hope this page will answer any questions you may have.
Q: "Why can't I see the Minutes of the last Parish Council meeting?"
A: Before formally publishing to the public the Minutes have to be approved as a true and accurate record by Full Council at the next meeting, as there may be an error or inaccuracy that needs to be amended. Only then will they appear on the Manston Parish Council website as approved Minutes. Unapproved Minutes may appear in Draft.
Q: "Why aren't the Minutes of Meetings on the village notice boards?"
A: It is not a requirement to put Parish Council Minutes on the village notice boards as they are published on the EPC website. The minutes often are 6 or 7 pages long and must be printed single-sided; this is not ecologically sound, going forward. The production of paper and toner use processes harmful to the environment and it is not MPC policy to condone this by printing unnecessarily. Publishing papers on the website also saves the Council money which, in turn, keeps the Precept as low as possible and thus reduce costs to the Parishioners. Putting our documents online also enables us to use hyperlinks to even more information; so better informing Parishioners. The traditional method of posting to Noticeboards restricts access to people of limited/no mobility; online documents gives access to ALL. Noticeboards are also limited in size, preventing us from putting more information into the public domain. They also make notices illegible in winter months!
Q: "There aren't many Parish Councillors at Meetings. How many do there have to be?"
A: In order to hold a legal Parish Council meeting, it has to be 'quorate'. This means that, according to the Local Government Act of 1972 (as amended) Manston Parish Council are 'quorate' when there are three or more Councillors in attendance. If, due to resignations or vacancies the Council becomes 'inquorate' Section 91 of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) allows the Council to appoint a sufficient number of Parish Councillors on a temporary basis, to enable the work of the Parish Council to continue until it has co-opted or elected sufficient Councillors to be quorate.
Q: "A car/trailer/van/campervan has been left for weeks in my road - it seems abandoned. What can I do?"
A: Complete the Thanet District Council online form here: https://www.thanet.gov.uk/info-pages/abandoned-vehicles/ and they will deal with it for you.
Q: "I'd like to hire the Village Hall. Can I talk to you about this?"
A: The VIllage Hall is not run by the Parish Council. You should email: [email protected] or call 07512 211728. You can also reach them via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manstonvillagehall/ .
Q: "A tree has fallen down across my road. Who do I call?"
A: Soft Landscaping and trees near roads and pavements are the responsibility of KCC roads and travel team. You can report the problem online here. Or, if the problem is urgent and likely to cause an accident, Call: 03000 418181 (Mon - Fri 9:00am - 5:pm) or at all other times: 03000 419191
Q: "There's a large pothole in the road. Who do I call to get it fixed?"
A: Potholes are annoying! Report the problem to KCC online here.
Q: "There's a lot of litter in my road and I can't remember when the road was last cleaned. Who do I call?"
A: Street cleaning, litter, parking issues, fly-tipping and bus shelter issues are all dealt with by Thanet District Council. Report issues online here or call 01843 577000