Last week, I heard from two Parish Councillors about their work in Watlington, and what it’s like being a parish councillor. Self-described as ‘a doer’ and ‘the properly woman’, Karyn and Nicky showed me how much passionate parish councillors are doing for their communities, but also some of the difficulties they face.

Parish Councils are often met with misconceptions. Here are a few things that Karyn and Nicky wished people knew:

Are Parish Councillors paid for their time? No, parish councillors are volunteers. Most commit a minimum of 4 hours a week, but can give up to 10 or more. Karyn and Nicky worked out that the Watlington Parish Council volunteers around £100,000 worth of project management time.

Do councillors just direct and manage other people? No, councillors have to undertake any projects themselves, and so are often stretched for time.

Are councillors responsible for the bins? No, these are managed by the District or County Council. The above graphic from London Colney Parish Council very helpfully explains the responsibility of each tier of council. See this link for a bigger version: https://www.londoncolney-pc.gov.uk/council-responsibilities/

Watlington Parish Council is particularly busy supporting their community. In the last year alone, Karyn and Nicky along with their team have linked up 50 community groups on a new community website (mywatlington.co.uk), given out grants to community groups, engaged with the college about youth provision, run the park facilities, support a free car park and more. They’re also a kind of support office for local residents, providing information, combating loneliness, and problem solving.

All this work takes time, and when I asked what they were most proud of, Nicky started with ‘running shorter meetings!’. The time pressure combined with occasional personal agendas and strong public opinions can sometimes make their work feel a bit like a battle – but they believe that they are battles worth fighting!

Recently, Community First Oxfordshire worked with the parish council to develop a Neighbourhood Plan. These plans are powerful legal tools to shape development in the way the community decides, and in Watlington, it provided a breakthrough on a 50yr campaign for a road to reduce pressure on a key pinch point.

Their vision for Watlington supports a thriving community, full of independent shops, community initiatives, and green spaces. They dream of a Watlington that may not look different physically, but feels different socially. Where there’s a strong community and no one left behind. Where older and younger people are supported – such as through the youth council they are starting. And where residents in new housing are welcomed with local provisions adapted to include everybody.

Despite some of the challenges parish councils face, they can enable communities and places to thrive, using their deep understanding of the local area and passion to improve the places they live in.

£1million awarded to Oxfordshire community groups to tackle health inequalities 

Over 130 activities in ten priority areas across Oxfordshire have received a boost after being awarded Well Together funding.  

The Well Together programme offers grassroot groups financial and community development support to strengthen the work they are doing in helping people to make healthier choices for themselves and their families. A wide range of activities are taking place across the county that will benefit children, young people and adults.  

A small team of Community Capacity Builders (CCBs) have been raising awareness of Well Together over the last year and supporting groups through the application process. The team are building on their strong community connections to help groups monitor and measure the impact of the work as well as providing infrastructure support. 

Well Together funding has been distributed on a rolling basis, so all groups are at different stages of offering their activities. For some who received a grant earlier in 2024, their activities are now well underway. Some of these include: 

• Rose Hill Junior Youth Club who are delivering sessions for ages 5-16 focused on improving wellbeing and building friendships through nature, cooking and art activities.  

• South Oxford Community Centre hosts seated exercise classes with the opportunity to make friends in the community café afterwards. 

• Oxford Wood Recycling are holding Community Shed sessions, encouraging residents from nearby Caldecott to meet their neighbours while making, creating or dabbling with wood. 

• Banbury Young Homeless Project have been running sessions for 16–25-year-olds to promote mental wellbeing.  

• UCARE are providing expert advice on urological cancers to other groups funded through the programme.  

• SOFEA’s ‘pop-up’ community larders continue to run and expand to new locations. One visitor to Barton Community Larder said: “The staff are friendly and supportive and there are always fresh and tinned healthy vegetables and other food. I often use it to make soups and stir fry and other healthy recipes which I can enjoy throughout the week.” 

• PEEP baby group is running in Littlemore and one parent said: “Prior to attending this group, I didn’t know anyone in our local community. Now I feel a part of the community and regularly see other individuals from the group out and about. This has had a very positive impact on my mental health as I adjusted to becoming a mum.” 

 Well Together is delivered in partnership by OCVA and Community First Oxfordshire. The Programme is funded by the NHS BOB Integrated Care Board.