Heath and Reach Parish Council Committees

Committees and their responsibilities

The Parish Council has four committees: Cemetery Management, Finance, Planning and Environment and Sports and Recreation. These committees meet on an as and when required basis.

We publish an agenda at least three working days prior to each meeting. We post minutes as ‘draft’ until we have approved them at the following full parish council meeting.

All meetings are open to the public unless otherwise stated or instructed by the Chair at the time of the meeting.

The Cemetery Committee is responsible Cemetery Committee logofor the running and maintenance of the Heath and Reach Parish Cemetery.

The Cemetery Committee meets regularly and at least four times a year. The committee meetings take place at the Heath Village Barn.

The actual dates, times and meeting location are on the agendas and published on this website at least 3 days prior. We also post meeting agendas on the two parish notice-boards. 

The Cemetery Committee comprises the following Parish Council members:

 

Cllr. Julie Bevans
Cemetery Committee Chair
Cllr. Terry Ellis
Cemetery Committee Member
Cllr. Anna Inns
Cemetery Committee Member
Cllr. Lesley Milne
Parish Councillor

Co-opted unopposed: 7th July 2025

Committees

Cemetery
Finance
Planning and Environment - Chair
Sports & Recreation

Cllr. Chris Reading
Cemetery Committee Member
Cllr. Sarah Smith
Cemetery Committee Member
Cllr. Jess Webb
Cemetery Committee Member
Cllr. Steve White
Parish Councillor

Co-opted unopposed: 7th July 2025

Committees

Cemetery
Finance
Planning and Environment - Chair
Sports & Recreation

Sue Grierson-Hill
Cemetery Clerk - Officer to the Committee

The Cemtery Clerk acts as an Officer to the Committee only and has no voting rights.

Further information relating to the Heath and Reach Parish Cemetery is available by following this link

Finance Committee logoThe Finance Committee calculates the annual budget for the Parish Council each year. They then present this calculation to be discussed by and agreed by the full Parish Council. It is this figure which, after being agreed by Central Bedfordshire Council, is used to calculate the ‘Heath and Reach Parish Council’ element of your Council Tax bill.

The Finance Committee is responsible for controlling income and expenditure throughout the year to ensure that the Parish Council operates within the agreed budget.

 

The Finance Committee meets regularly, about four times a year.

The Finance Committee comprises of the following Council Members:

Cllr. Anna Inns
Finance Committee Chair
Cllr. Julie Bevan
Finance Committee Member
Cllr. Terry Ellis
Finance Committee Member
Cllr. Lesley Milne
Parish Councillor

Co-opted unopposed: 7th July 2025

Committees

Cemetery
Finance
Planning and Environment - Chair
Sports & Recreation

Cllr. Chris Reading
Finance Committee Member
Cllr. Sarah Smith
Finance Committee Member
Cllr. Jess Webb
Finance Committee Member
Cllr. Steve White
Parish Councillor

Co-opted unopposed: 7th July 2025

Committees

Cemetery
Finance
Planning and Environment - Chair
Sports & Recreation

Sue Grierson-Hill
Parish Clerk - Officer to the Committee

The Parish Clerk is the Responsible Finance Officer (RFO) and has no voting rights.

Click here to view the ‘Terms of Reference’ for the Finance Committee.

Notice of appointment of date for the exercise of public rights. Accounts for the year end 31st March 2024. This document can be viewed by visiting the table below.

Annual Governance and Accountability Return for 2023/2024.

The audit has been concluded and a statement of accounts is available from the link below.

A copy of the Annual Governance and Accountability Return is available for purchase by any person on payment of £5 for up to five years from its publication.

Accessibility Regulations
We are aware that the Accounts and Audit Regulations requirement for a physical ‘wet ink’ signature on the original AGAR, does not allow parish council’s to fully comply with the Accessibility Regulations. The National Audit Office are aware that the two pieces of legislation are not compatible. This AGAR document is a scan and will not be fully compliant with the Accessibility Regulations.

The following table relates to the details of Budgets, Accounts Parish Assets and Independent Audits carried out on behalf of Heath and Reach Parish Council. Each download link will open in a new window and is viewable using a pdf reader.

 

 

Finance Reports - Heath and Reach Parish Council

The following document links relate to Accounts, Budgets, Parish Assets and Independent Audits carried out behalf of Heath and Reach Parish Council. Each download link will open in a new window and some can be viewed using a PDF reader.

DescriptionAccountsBudgetAuditAssets
ACCOUNT SUMMARIES
Current Account @ 31.5.2025
Account Balances - 32 day notice a/c @ 31.5.2025View statement
Account Balances - Savings a/c @ 31.5.2025View statement
Treasurer's Account Reconciliation @ 31.5.2025View statement
Unity Bank Reconciliation @ 31.3.2025View statement
Year End Accounts @ 31.3.2024
ASSETS
Assets Register @ 26.4.2025Visit the page
AUDIT
Annual Internal Audit Report 2024/25View report
Annual Internal Audit Report 2023/24View report
Notice of the conclusion of the Audit - Annual Return for the year ended 31st March 2024View document
External Auditor's Report & Certificate 2023-24View document
External Auditor's Report & Certificate 2022-23View document
BUDGET
Budget 2025/26 @ 1/4/2025View Budget
Budget 2024/25 @ 17.5.2024View budget
Budget 2023/24 @ 31.3.2024View budget

Planning and environment icon
The Planning and Environment Committee meets on an as and when required basis, following the monthly meeting of the Parish Council. The committee checks all planning applications within the parish boundaries and passing comments back to Central Bedfordshire Council, who make the final decisions.

This committee meets regularly with the managers of the local quarries to discuss ongoing events and also liaises with the local P3 group* who maintain the footpaths around the village.

* Currently, this group is inactive. Cllr. Helen Loomes is in the process of developing a new group – 21st May 2024.

You can view the planning applications and their progress submitted to Central Bedfordshire Council by clicking on the following link – planning applications and appeals

We have produced a list of current planning applications for your perusal. We update this list on a weekly basis and are viewable by visiting – Heath and Reach Planning Applications.

To view the ‘Terms of Reference’ for the Planning and Environment Committee, visit Terms of Reference

The Planning and Environment Committee comprises the following Parish Councillors:

Cllr. Terry Ellis
Planning Committee Chairr
Cllr. Julie Bevan
Planning Committee Member
Cllr. Anna Inns
Planning Committee Member
Cllr. Lesley Milne
Parish Councillor

Co-opted unopposed: 7th July 2025

Committees

Cemetery
Finance
Planning and Environment - Chair
Sports & Recreation

Cllr. Chris Reading
Planning Committee Member
Cllr. Sarah Smith
Planning Committee Member
Cllr. Jess Webb
Plannibng Committee Member
Cllr. Steve White
Parish Councillor

Co-opted unopposed: 7th July 2025

Committees

Cemetery
Finance
Planning and Environment - Chair
Sports & Recreation

Sue Grierson-HIll
Parish Clerk - Officer to the Committee

The Parish Clerk acts as an Officer to the Committee only and has no voting rights.

Sports and Recreation Committee logoThe Sports and Recreation Committee maintains Thrift Road Playing Fields and Bryants Lane Sports & Recreation Ground. They make regular checks on the Trim Trail and Tennis Courts at Bryants Lane and on the playground equipment and the surrounding area at Thrift Road.

Included within the remit of the Committee is the Millennium Garden.

 

Millennium Gardens stoneThe Parish Council manages the Millennium Garden after being given to the Village in celebration of the Millennium in January 2000 by the Allotment Trustees.

Entrance to the Garden is from Bird’s Hill and Linslade Road, allowing people to walk through and cut off the corner. There are flower beds around the edges with paths winding around two island beds in the middle. The Gardens have seasonal planting, together with aromatic herbs and an assortment of shrubs.

The Sports and Recreation Committee meets regularly and at least four times a year.

The Sports and Recreation Committee consists of the following Parish Council members:

Cllr. Julie Bevan
Sports and Recreation Chair
Bryants Lane Sports Ground
Cllr. Terry Ellis
Sports and Recreation Committee Member
Cllr. Anna Inns
Sports and Recreation Committee Member
Cllr. Lesley Milne
Parish Councillor

Co-opted unopposed: 7th July 2025

Committees

Cemetery
Finance
Planning and Environment - Chair
Sports & Recreation

Cllr. Chris Reading
Sports and Recreation Committee Member
Cllr. Sarah Smith
Sports and Recreation Committee Member
Cllr. Jess Webb
Sports and Recreation Committee Member
Cllr. Steve White
Parish Councillor

Co-opted unopposed: 7th July 2025

Committees

Cemetery
Finance
Planning and Environment - Chair
Sports & Recreation

Sue Grierson-Hill
Parish Clerk - Officer to the Committee

The Parish Clerk acts as an Officer to the Committee only and has no voting rights.

Bryants Lane Sports Ground

For each of the meetings, we prepare an agenda that is usually available 3 days prior. After the meeting, the minutes from the previously held meeting is approved and then published. These documents are available for inspection in our repository and can be accessed by clicking here.

Other official documents relating to these Committees are also held in our documents archive.

Details of the meeting dates for the four sub-committees and the full Parish Council meeting can be found by clicking here.