Mitcheldean is a vibrant village perched on the edge of the ancient Forest of Dean. Historically Mitcheldean has been a working centre offering employment to many Forest residents, from the brewery initially through to the massive Xerox plant and the current Vantage Point Business Park, many Foresters have enjoyed working in Mitcheldean.
The Parish Council is now heavily involved in helping Mitcheldean become the vibrant village that it needs to be to tackle more modern times. This site is a further example of that aim and it is hoped that it will offer the residents of Mitcheldean a web window into what happens in Mitcheldean and how you can get involved. If you have any information you would like to see added to the site, now or in the future then please email the clerk at clerk@mitcheldeancouncil.co.uk or via our Facebook page.
What does the Parish Council Do?
Parish Councils have a number of things they have to do and they also have the authority to do some other things if there is a public need or desire. The Parish Council receives money every year from the District Council, collected as part of your Council Tax and we are allowed to apply for grants and donations to support our activities.
What we have to do includes providing and emptying rubbish bins, maintaining ditches and ponds, maintaining road verges, planting and maintaining trees and maintaining war memorials. We also have to monitor the accounts of parochial charities such as the alms houses.
What we are allowed to do is a much longer list and includes such things as providing lighting, parking, seats and bus shelters. We can put up road signs and bus shelters if the Highways Authority agrees and we can, if we can afford it, buy and maintain land for public walks, pleasure grounds, playing fields and holiday camps but we must then also maintain these facilities.
We can make local bye-laws covering play areas, cycle paths and burial grounds and we have the authority to buy or to be given land for burial grounds. We are also allowed to appoint school governors.
We can choose to offer land we own as allotments and we are allowed to provide public clocks. If there was any common land in the parish it would be the Parish Council’s responsibility to maintain it. We also have the right to provide conference facilities, community centres and to promote lotteries.
We can donate money to support local groups and local events and we are allowed to contribute to tourist organisations, to fund entertainment and to support the arts.
We are invited by the District Council to comment on all planning applications within the parish and we can make objections, comments and suggestions but we do not have the power to stop any application, that power rests with the District Council. Nevertheless, because we have a neighbourhood development plan (NDP) which was put to a public vote, if we raise an objection based on the terms of the NDP this carries quite a lot of weight withmthe District Planning Authority.
In Mitcheldean we employ people to keep the village looking tidy, weeding and strimming the roadsides, maintaining the park areas and looking after the play equipment.
Parish Council meetings are public events held once a month on the second Monday at 7pm in the Town Hall. All parishioners are welcome to join us and 15 minutes is set aside at the start of every meeting for parishioners to raise issues, ask for support or to bring local matters to our attention
Traffic Order – 50mph Speed Limit – A4136 – Longhope to Huntley – Forest of Dean (JB/83390)
The Neighbourhood Development Plan was adopted on 7th February 2020
Buildings and Land owned by the Parish Council
Mitcheldean Parish Council own the Town Hall, where they hold their monthly Full Council Meetings, and the Sports Pavilion and Community Centre on Mitcheldean Playing Field.
Gloucestershire County Council: www.gloucestershire.gov.uk