Milden does not have a Parish Council with directly elected councillors.  Like other small villages with fewer than 200 parishioners, Milden has a Parish Meeting, which is the smallest body of local governance.

Officers of the Parish Meeting are not elected reprensatives, like councillors on a Parish Council, but are volunteers who  facilitate the business of the Parish Meeting. There is a Chair, Clerk and Treasurer (see Contact Us). Unusually for the UK a Parish Meeting is a form of direct democracy, as all electors have an equal say.

The Parish Meeting is a meeting of all the electors in the Parish, all parishioners are entitled to attend. Decisions are made at the Parish Meeting by those who attend in person, votes are taken on important matters, you cannot vote by proxy or if you are absent. In the event of a tied vote the Chair has the casting vote.

The  Parish Meeting meets twice a year, typically in November and in May, the latter is the Annual Parish Meeting. Our District and County Councillors attend both Meetings and report on matters occurring in their areas of responsibility. Broadly these are District Council - planning, housing, waste management, environmental protection, leisure facilities, local transport, PROWs and County Council - highways, education, social care, public safety, PROW maintenance. Work has just begun on local devolution and it is likely that within a few years the activities of both councils will be combined under one unitary authority/mayor.

The Parish Meeting sets the Parish precept, this is the contribution from Council Tax that is allocated to Milden. This is done at the November Meeting.

Minutes of the Meeting are taken by the Clerk and are distributed to the village email distribution list. If you would like to be added to this list, please contact the Clerk by email clerk@mildenpm.co.uk. Past minutes are available on the sub menu below. Dates for upcoming Meetings along with the agenda are advised well in advance, by email,  on the village noticeboard and on the home page of this website.