What we do and Council information
We are known as Minal Parish Council to follow the local name of the village but are registered with Wiltshire County Council as Mildenhall. We serve the village and surrounds of Mildenhall and Stitchcombe. We work with Wiltshire County Council and are part of the Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan (MANP).
We have 7 Councillors who serve a term of 4 years although occasionally vacancies crop up during this time.
Parish councils are the first tier of local government and are closest to the community. We play a vital part in representing the interests of our community and are responsible for:
- Maintaining the rights of way around the village
- Managing the provision of various services such as grass cutting, maintenance, emergency heating and shelter
- Advising Wiltshire County Council on local planning issues
- Maintaining the Play areas and equipment
- Ensuring the village environment is pleasant and free of litter
- Listening to residents and working to improve the village facilities eg purchasing Church field
- The parish council is often asked for its views on a wide range of issues that are decided by other bodies. This could include, for example, public transport, regional planning or community safety.
- Supporting community projects such as a Parish magazine, website, playground for children
Duties and Powers
Various laws outline a council’s legal obligations and duties to ensure it is administered correctly. Recent changes such as the Transparency code ensure that residents can view the work of the council more easily and Government policy is increasingly encouraging local participation in decision making and responsibility for local issues.
Facts and Figures
– Parish councils were created in 1894 separating the civil parish and church which had previously delivered local services such as care for the poor and maintaining paths.
– There are over 9000 town and parish councils in England
– 25% of the population (over 16m people) live in communities served by parish and town councils.
My Wiltshire – How to Report an Issue to Wiltshire County Council
To streamline its services and resources Wiltshire County Council uses My Wiltshire. You can use this online or via an app on your phone (apple and android). Here are some of the issues you can report using My Wiltshire. 
- Highways and car parks
- Abandoned vehicles
- Street Lighting
- Environmental and Waste problems eg dog waste, graffiti
- Fraud
- Weather emergencies
- Trading Standards
Area Boards
The area boards are a way of working to bring local decision making back into the heart of the community. Area Boards are not like old fashioned council meetings and there are lots of opportunities for local people to get involved. Meetings take place locally once every 8 weeks and between meetings task groups consisting of local people, Wiltshire Council staff and councillors tackle local issues and find solutions to take forward at the next area board. A key role of the area boards is to provide grants to community groups and youth funding in partnership with the local youth networks. Local Community Engagement Managers (CEM’s) facilitate and enable closer working between the council, the community and area boards.
Click here for more information Marlborough Area Board
Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan
A Neighbourhood Plan (sometimes called a Neighbourhood Development Plan) is a way of helping local communities to influence the planning of the area in which they live and work. It can be used to:
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- Develop a shared vision for your neighbourhood.
- Choose where new homes, shops, offices and other development should be built.
- Identify and protect important local green spaces.
- Influence what new buildings should look.
For Further information about the Marlborough Area Neighboourhood Plan go to https://www.marlborough-tc.gov.uk/neighbourhood-plan