Saltford Parish Council (SPC)
Saltford Parish Council (SPC) is the first level of local government for the village of Saltford. As the tier of government closest to residents, the Council is well positioned to listen to and act on the needs of the community. All of Saltford Parish Council’s Councillors live in the village, ensuring strong awareness of key matters, local representation, and a focus on the issues that matter most to residents.
Your Local Authorities (Councils) and their responsibilities
Two Local Authorities cover the Saltford area; Saltford Parish Council and Bath and North East Somerset Council (B&NES Council). Saltford Parish Council is independent of B&NES Council.
Saltford Parish Council – services / responsibilities: Management of St Mary’s Churchyard; Management of Wick House Close Allotment site; Grants programme; Assets. Please view our Council Responsibilities page for details. Saltford Parish Council has eleven Councillors.
B&NES Council is the unitary authority for the Saltford area. Saltford, along with some nearby villages, is in B&NES Council’s ‘Saltford Ward‘. Two B&NES Councillors represent Saltford Ward.
View B&NES Council’s interactive maps for Parishes in B&NES and Wards in B&NES, as above, by visiting the B&NES Council website at: Find or contact your Parish Council and Find your ward. Download a PDF version of the image above here (correct as of September 2025).
B&NES Council – services / responsibilities: Planning Authority; Highways Authority; Parks and Green Spaces (inc. playgrounds); Pavements; Public Rights of Way; Grit bins; Issues on B&NES Council land, etc.
Please view our ‘Report It’ page which gives more information about what B&NES Council is responsible for in the village.
Please also see our (Sept 2025) article, ‘Information about Saltford Parish Council – who we are and what we do’ to understand more about Saltford Parish Council.
What is a Parish Council?
Parish Councils are a type of local authority, alongside community, neighbourhood, and town councils. Their primary role is to represent the interests of their communities and serve the local electorate. As independent legal and corporate bodies, Parish Councils are statutory organisations with a defined set of powers. View this interactive map on the B&NES Council website to view Parish and Town Councils in the B&NES area – all these councils are independent of B&NES Council.
Parish Councils cannot operate in areas that fall under the responsibility of other authorities – for example, Saltford Parish Council cannot take action on matters managed by B&NES Council or the police. Where appropriate, and when resources allow, Parish Councils may engage and collaborate with other authorities to support the interests of the local community.
Like any statutory body, a Parish Council can only do the things for which the law or any governing document gives a power. However Saltford Parish Council is eligible – and has therefore adopted – the Power of General Competence, which is the power to do “anything that individuals generally may do”.
To fund their activities, Parish Councils raise their own local tax known as the ‘precept’, which forms part of the overall council tax. More about SPC’s precept can be found on our ‘Finance – Precept‘ page.
What does Saltford Parish Council do?
Examples of the work of Saltford Parish Council include: Holding regular meetings, and acting as a democratic voice for Saltford residents and consulting the community on relevant issues / Liaising with B&NES Council regarding e.g. road safety and highways, environmental concerns, planning policy, and other matters that are the responsibility of B&NES Council / Liaising with key organisations such as Avon and Somerset Police and Avon Fire & Rescue regarding local crime and river safety / Responding to planning consultations received from B&NES Council (the ‘planning authority’) providing a local voice and knowledge / Working in partnership with local groups and organisations to meet community needs / Managing St Mary’s closed Churchyard and the Wick House Close allotment site.
How can I engage with Saltford Parish Council meetings and decisions?
SPC meets monthly (bar August), usually on the first Tuesday of every month at 7.15pm. SPC meetings are usually held in the Avon Room at Saltford Hall. Details are on the ‘Meetings – Agendas and Minutes‘ page.
SPC publishes its agenda three clear days before a meeting. Agendas will be available on SPC’s website and noticeboard (located by the larger shop parade adjacent to the A4 Bath Road, What3Words here).
Meetings are open to the public and SPC welcomes residents to attend. Should residents wish to speak they can do so during ‘Public Time’ which takes place near the start of the meeting. The public can speak on items to be resolved as detailed on the agenda, and Public Engagement Guidelines are on the ‘Meetings – Agendas and Minutes‘ page. Please be aware that when matters of a confidential nature are to be discussed, members of the public may be asked to leave the meeting. If there is to be a closed session, this is usually stated on an agenda.
If there is a particular issue you would like raised at a meeting for the Council to resolve, in the first instance please contact a Councillor or the Parish Clerk at least 10 days before a meeting to discuss. It is ultimately up to SPC to decide on items for the agenda. If a matter is not on an agenda, the Council cannot resolve a view.
Saltford Parish Council falls within the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset Council (B&NES Council). There are 11 SPC Councillors who serve on the Parish Council. SPC is independent of B&NES Council.
B&NES Council’s Saltford Ward (which includes Saltford and nearby villages) has two elected B&NES Ward Councillors (details on the B&NES website). SPC looks to work effectively with B&NES Council Ward Councillors for the benefit of the village. Ward Councillors are invited to attend and speak at SPC meetings.
How can I find out about Saltford Parish Council’s views and decisions?
Saltford Parish Council usually publishes its draft minutes about one week after a meeting, draft minutes are then confirmed as final at the next meeting of the Parish Council.
Confirmed minutes are permanently displayed on SPC’s website. Please view our ‘Meetings – Agendas and Minutes‘ page.
Please refer to the minutes for SPC’s latest view or decisions, including up-to-date views on a range of matters (minutes are listed in reverse chronological order).
For some items and actions SPC looks to provide more information on its website, usually on its ‘News‘ page. SPC also adds information to its social media pages, please find latest posts on the sidebar of this website.