Council Role
Calstock Parish Council is a statutory body and is the first tier of Local Government. The Council has some responsibilities for local footpaths, local playing fields, local burial grounds, bus shelters, some open spaces, car parks, public toilets and allotments. The Council has separate Committees to which it delegates various functions.
It raises money for its activities through a local tax (the “precept”) paid by the residents within the Parish.
Calstock has nineteen unpaid Parish Councillors who represent five wards within Calstock Parish: Calstock, Chilsworthy, Delaware, Gunnislake and Harrowbarrow.
To assist in its work, the Council in 2005 developed a Parish Plan which is currently being reviewed and a Neighbourhood Development Plan was adopted in January 2022. The Council also makes small grants to assist local projects, application forms are available for both capital and revenue.
The Council employs a Parish Clerk who is its principal executive and advisor (otherwise known as the Proper Officer) and is also responsible for maintaining financial processes and records (and is the Responsible Financial Officer for the Parish Council).
Two maintenance workers are employed on a part-time basis. They carry out grass cutting, strimming, and general maintenance duties in the cemeteries, recreation grounds and other open spaces for which the council has responsibility. They inspect the play equipment, life-saving equipment and defibrillators as well as cleaning and looking after bus-shelters and treating invasive species of plant on Parish Council owned sites. The maintenance officers also work collaboratively with the Calstock Footpath Society to ensure footpaths remain passable (although overall responsibility for these Public Rights of Way remain with Cornwall Council).