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About the Community Council
What is the Community Council?
There are 735 community and town councils in Wales. They have a powerful voice to represent local people.
Community and Town Councils are elected units of local government whose activities are controlled by Acts of Parliament and legislation introduced by the Welsh Government. They are the part of local government that is closest to the people. They serve the smallest areas and are responsible for the most local of matters. Importantly they can “precept” -raising a sum that is collected with the council tax each year for the purpose of improving facilities and services for local people.
Community councils have a number of powers and basic responsibilities, which can easily be taken for granted. Essentially these fall into three main categories:
- Representing the whole electorate within the community
- Delivering services to meet local needs
- Striving to improve the quality of life within the community
Larger community councils may have powers which include the provision and maintenance of community transport schemes, traffic calming measures, local youth projects, tourism activities, leisure facilities, car parks, burial grounds, village greens, public lavatories, allotments, street lighting, bus shelters, commons, open spaces, footpaths, bridleways and crime prevention measures.
In Welsh St Donats we have relatively modest assets and options for delivering services and improving quality of life, but our role of representing the electorate is as important as in larger councils.
The Community Council area
The Welsh St Donats Community Council serves the village of Welsh St Donats plus the adjoining areas of Maendy, Prisk, Tair Onen, Highgrove and Heol Y March. In 2021 there were 458 electors and approximately 208 dwellings.
Functions
Welsh St Donats Community Council has responsibility for maintaining several grass amenity areas, Prisk triangle and village green, the verge at Highgrove and the area around Welsh St Donats’ pond. In addition, the Community Council provides and maintains three public seats and a notice board in the bus shelter.
Some years ago, the Council also undertook the restoration of the village pond and has an ongoing responsibility for its upkeep. Natural Resources Wales biodiversity team advise on managing the pond to maintain it as a suitable habitat for wildlife.
The Community Council is also active on behalf of local residents in seeking to bring pressure on the Vale Council to carry out its functions and duties in regard to highways, footways, bridleways, public rights of way and the provision of amenities. It regularly reports pothole and drainage problems on the roads, also damaged road signs, fly tipping, vandalism and fallen trees to the responsible authorities.
Planning issues are a regular part of the business at the Council’s monthly meetings. We are consulted on all planning applications which are submitted within the area. We consider them all and make comments to the Vale planning department where appropriate.
The Community Council is also consulted by the Vale Council, the Welsh Assembly Government and other authorities on a variety of issues. We always try to consider how these issues will affect our community and respond on behalf of local residents.
Within the Welsh St Donats Community Council area lie two areas of forest at Tair Onen and Heol y March. These are the responsibility of Natural Resources Wales. The Community Council keeps in regular contact with NRW and makes every effort to ensure the community is kept fully informed of activities carried out in Forest areas and at Pysgodlyn Mawr (an SSSI).
The Community Council has links with South Wales Police who provide monthly crime reports and updates and our local PCSO is on hand to answer any non-urgent queries.
The Village Hall is run by its own management committee and is not the responsibility of the Community Council, but the Council is represented on the Hall Committee by a Community Councillors, which helps ensure good communication and co-operation between the two bodies.
The Governing Body of Pendoylan Church in Wales Primary school also has a seat for a Community Councillor. This role alternates between Welsh St Donats and Pendoylan Community Councils and it will next fall to our Council to provide a governor for the school in 2022.
What do Community Councillors do for me?
The Councillors represent the people living in the area at the closest level to the community. We are all unpaid volunteers and do not represent any particular political party. When decisions are being made we are there to put your views across and protect your interests. That is why we always welcome feedback from local residents and suggestions for new projects which we might undertake for the community.
January 2022.
