TREE PRESERVATION ORDERS (TPOs)
All the TPO information has been supplied by Mr Colin Hawes the Bentley Tree Warden, following agreement, by Babergh District Council, that the information could be displayed on the Onesuffolk website www.onesuffolk.co.uk/bentley. The following list offers easy access to the information stored on Onesuffolk.
TPO Numbers, Location & Details: (Latest TPO Order at the top of the list.)
This page offers links to files containing details about each TPO. The quality of some of the information was difficult to transfer therefore, if you would like to see the original information please contact the Tree Warden to arrange a date and time to view the relevant TPO. (Click on TPO number in Blue Italic to read more details.)
BT 00404 - Land adjacent to Old Station Yard - (2006)
BT 00379 - 6 Falstaff Cottages - (2004)
BT 362 - Boundry between 4 & 5 Highfields - (2002)
BT 332 - Teapot Hill, Grove Road - (2001)
BT 298 - Land adjacent to 'Willows End', Link Lane - (1999)
BT 278 - Woodfield - (1997)
BT 244 - Bentley House - (1994)
BT 240 - Land opposite 'Highfields', Link Lane - (1993)
BT 227 - Great Martins Hill Wood & Holly Wood - (1992)
BT 172 - Land adjacent to 'The Chestnuts' - (1998)
BT 97 - Pine Tree Garage - (1983)
BT 81 - Bentley Grove - (1969)
BT 12A - Bentley Estate - (1969)
BT 12 Amendment - Dodnash Wood & Bentley Long Wood - (1969)
BT 12 - Dodnash Wood, Bentley Long Wood, Old Hall Wood,
Howe Wood, Newcome Wood & Baldrough Wood - (1969)
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A Parish Council is the first tier of local government which makes following all the myriad of rules very important. Parish Council Standing Orders form a necessary part of these rules and are an essential 'element' for the operation of a 'Quality Council'.
There seems to be little or no support from other organisations to assist Parish Councils when breaches of rules, legally added to their Standing Orders, take place!
(Note: Possibly for this very reason Bentley Parish Council, in Sept 2006, decided to reduce the Comprehensive set of Standing Orders to a set containing the Minimum 'legal' requirements which is the only one able to be enforced!)
What are STANDING ORDERS:
Standing Orders are a set of rules governing the procedures that a Local Town or Parish Council and it's councillors should follow.
The Standing Orders, once created, are amended, as and when necessary, to reflect any changes in the Local Government Acts on which they are based. (In Bentley Parish Council's case the Standing Orders were reviewed annually or sooner if changes occured to the Local Government Acts or NALC issued a revised LTN etc.)
The first set of Standing Orders for Bentley Parish Council were created in 1998/99 and became, over the years, very 'comprehensive'. Click here to view a sample set of comprehensive Standing Orders
This 'comprehensive' set of Standing Orders were 'issue dated' and revised at least once each year in order to 'reflect' the ongoing changes in local government etc. These Standing Orders also included a copy of the Code of Conduct 2001 which was, at the time of issue, immediately adopted by the Parish Council and included within the Standing Orders held by all councillors.
The latest version of Bentley Parish Council's Standing Orders contains just the NALC recommended 'bold' print and came into force following a resolution made at the 7 September 2006 and will therefore require minimum or no revision. This decision was made due to the lack of support regarding the enforcement of the 'discretionary' items such as NALC Legal Topic Notes. Click here to view a copy of a minimum set of Standing Orders.
The New Code of Conduct 2007 was adopted by Bentley Parish Council at the 15 June 2007 meeting. Enforcement procedures - for items within Standing Orders, Councillors who breach the procedures included within the Parish Councils Standing Orders must be dealt with at the local level unless the matter falls within one of the criteria laid down by the Standards Board whereupon a complaint can be made to the Standards Board.
Local Council's, can experience considerable difficulty enforcing any agreed procedures, such as the excellent NALC Legal Topic Note (LTN06) 'Code of Practice for Local Councils in Handling Complaints' (This was previously numbered LTN56), as previously documented within Bentley Parish Council approved, and legally correct, Standing Orders.
NOTE: - If a councillor ignores the non-mandatory articles that your Parish Council have added to the Standing Orders, such as the local NALC Complaints procedure LTN06, there is currently absolutely nothing that the Parish Council, the District Council, the Standards Board or the Standards Committee can do about the breach of any non-mandatory Standing Orders procedure!
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The Standards Board is Government 'body' paid for by the taxpayers and was set up to ensure that Local Government procedures are adhered to and the 'Code of Conduct' is followed by everyone serving as elected Councillors. They have, in 2008, deligated some powers to the local Standards Committee.
(Comment:- Elected Councillors are unpaid volunteers who give up their time for the benefit of their local community and endeavour to abide by all the myriad of Local Government rules to the best of their ability!)
OTHER ISSUES:
Have you followed all the rules but have been unfortunate to receive a letter from the Standards Board or currently the Standards Committee with a case number?
If you have you in all provability will be subjected to an investigation which can prove to be very stressful and may ultimately damage your well-being!
If you are proved to be totally innocent (exonerated) then you are entitled to request that there should be NO PUBLICITY about the case in the local press which should mean that your name will not be displayed on the Internet either!