Parish councils act on behalf of the community they represent. Lydford Parish Council is the voice of the local community for planning applications and a focus for local consultation by other authorities such as West Devon Borough Council, Dartmoor National Park Authority and Highways.
Parish councils have powers to provide some facilities themselves, or they can contribute towards their provision by others.
Your Parish Council
If the Parish Council is to make a meaningful contribution to life in Lydford it needs to know what's important to you, the villagers. Please let us know if there are local matters of concern to you, either by email (clerk@lydfordparishcouncil.com), via our Facebook Page or by speaking directly to one of your councillors. We promise to listen!
In Lydford, the Parish Council meets once a month in the Nicholls Hall to discuss current issues. These meetings are open to the public who are encouraged to attend and participate in local democracy.
Our next meeting:
Tuesday
11th April 2023 7.00 pm Nicholls Hall

Latest news from the Parish Council
The term of the current Council expires the day before the local elections on 4th May. The final meeting of the Council will take place in April. The new Council will meet for the first time in May and Councillors will hold office until 2027.
The Council has now ended its contract with West Devon Council to operate the public toilets in the village. There is no known plan for either West Devon, Dartmoor National Park or local business to re-open them.
There will be a National test of the Emergency Alert system on Sunday 23rd April. A message will be sent to mobile phones and tablets. You may get a loud siren-like sound (even if your device is set to silent) or the device will vibrate. More information can be found at www.gov.uk/alerts

Your Parish Councillors
Chair
Mr N Grigg
Address in Lydford
Mr N Skeaping
Townend House
Lydford
EX20 4AR
Mr B Cook
Lyneaste
Lydford
EX20 4AW
Vice-Chair
Dr S Squires
Spring House
Lydford
EX20 4BJ
Mrs R Tainsh
Olde Stone
Lydford
EX20 4BH
Mr A MacIntyre
May Cottage
Lydford
EX20 4AG
Mr C Blackmore
East Grange
Lydford
EX20 4AR
Parish Clerk
John Bright
24 Gt Fellingfield
Mary Tavy
PL19 9QQ
07704634695
clerk@lydfordparishcouncil.com
Becoming a Councillor
The role of Parish Councillor is not an onerous one, requiring only that you commit to one meeting of at most a couple of hours once a month. As a potential Councillor you'll want to be involved in what goes on in the village and to have an idea of how you might improve the village for those that live here. You'll want to listen and talk to parishioners to gather their opinions on matters and represent them at meetings as well as beyond.
Each year the Council receives a sum of money (knows as the Precept) allocated from local taxation which they are able to spend to further the aims of the local community.
The Council’s financial accounts are subject to scrutiny and audit and are available for public inspection. More information here.
The management and operation of the Council is governed by a variety of policies, all of which can be viewed here.
Parish councils focus on local opinion and represent that opinion on issues like:
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Highways
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Planning
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Transport and traffic
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Allotments
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Litter
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War Memorials
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Seats and shelters.
The Council can organise projects for the community, and can pay for them through the precept or by raising grant funding.
Lydford Council also allocates a part of its Precept for awarding grants to groups and organisations within the parish. The policy and application form can be found here.