Starston Parish Council
There are over 9,000 Parish and Town Councils in England, and they form the tier of local government closest to the communities they serve and represent.
The principal concerns of the Starston Parish Council tend to relate to highways, footpaths & rights of way, consideration of planning applications, budgetary matters, and the provision of grants to local bodies.
By their very nature, Parish and Town Councils should maintain a close relationship with the local community. Starston Parish Council holds six meetings a year. We encourage local residents to attend council meetings principally as observers, although there is an opportunity at each meeting to raise relevant issues of concern.
We also hold one Parish Meeting each year, which all electors in the parish may attend and where again they may raise issues of local concern. All other groups and bodies within the parish are invited to present a report to the meeting about their activities during the course of the preceding year.
Contact Details
Parish Clerk:
Joanne Madders
Email: clerk@starstonparishcouncil.gov.uk
Chairman:
Philip Astor
Email: philipastor@mac.com
Tel: 07753 800594
Vice Chair:
Karen O’Keeffe
Email: karenokeeffe@icloud.com
Emergency Plan:
Janet Broadhurst
Email: janetbroadhurst@aol.com
Telephone: 01379 853480
Useful Links
Councillors 2025-26
Parish Council Meetings
Meeting Dates 2026
Agendas and Minutes
Agendas
2026
March 16th –
January 19th –
2025
November 17th –
September 15th –
Agenda
July 21st –
Agenda
Associated Papers
May 19th –
Agenda
Associated Papers Part 1
Associated Papers Part 2
March 17th –
Agenda
Associated Papers
January 20th –
Agenda
Associated Papers
Annual general meetings
If you are elected in May your first meeting will be the Annual Meeting of the Council. This is where you elect a chairman and probably a vice-chairman, and appoint committee members and representatives to other bodies. Remember that this is a meeting of the council, the minutes of this meeting are shown at the start of the MAY PARISH COUNCIL MINUTES.
Annual Parish Meetings
The Annual Parish Meeting is not a council meeting. It is a meeting of the parish taking place between 1 March and 1 June.
Electors can contribute to the agenda and in practice these meetings often celebrate local activities and debate current
issues in the community. The Chairman, if present, will chair the meeting.
Action Plan 2025-26
Emergency Plan
Annual Governance & Accountability Return (AGAR)
2024-2025
Notice of period for the exercise of public rights (Posted 29th May 2025)
Certificate of Exemption 2024-2025
Annual Internal Audit Report 2024-2025
Annual Governance Statement 2024-2025
Accounting Statements 2024-2025
Bank Reconciliation 31st March 2025
Please note that the statement of accounts will not be audited on account of that Starston Parish Council has self-certified status as exempt, unless either a request for an opportunity to question the auditor about the authority’s accounting records under section 26(2) or an objection under section 27(1) of the Act results in the involvement of the local auditor.
Parish Council Budgets
Footpaths
Schematic Map of Starston Footpaths
Ordnance Survey Map of Starston Footpaths and Rights of Way
Starston is fortunate in having an extensive network of footpaths. Some are designated rights of way; others are more informal permissive paths, where the landowner has given permission for access but could, in principle, withdraw it in the future.
It is difficult for us to keep a check on all the footpaths in the parish, and problems can of course arise: a given path might become awkward to walk on or overgrown; there might be a broken stile or a missing finger post. We therefore need to have an effective system of reporting, but we are keen to avoid undue confusion, as has often resulted in the past, with issues being reported either to the Parish Council or to Norfolk County Council, or on occasions to both, albeit without the other being aware of the fact. We have therefore agreed with NCC to streamline the system so that from now on any resident who spots a problem should report it directly to NCC
via this link: https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/39652
If you still have any questions or concerns, the Parish Council will of course be happy to help, in which case please contact either the Footpath Warden at chris.sparrow2211@hotmail.co.uk
or the Parish Clerk, Jo Madders, at
starstonparishcouncil@yahoo.co.uk.
Footpath Warden
Chris Sparrow
Email: chris.sparrow2211@hotmail.co.uk
Report Highways or Footpaths issues directly to Norfolk County Council
Report Fly-Tipping directly to South Norfolk Council
South Norfolk Help Hub contact details
Broadland and South Norfolk Help Hub is a partnership of multiple services working together to offer practical support and guidance to residents who might be in need of assistance.
Residents can get help with a wide variety of issues including:
- Debt and financial hardship
- Benefits
- Domestic abuse
- Physical and mental wellbeing
- Social isolation
- Support for carers
- Support for families in need
Recycling information
Parish Council Policies
The list of policies held by the Parish Council is included within the
Policy Index May 2025
Asset Register 2024-25
Parish Council List of Powers and Duties 2025 Renewal May 2028
Code of Conduct adopted May 2025 Renewal 2026
Standing Orders 2018 revised 2022 adopted May 2025 Renewal May 2026
Financial Regulations 2024 adopted May 2025 Renewal May 2026
Financial Risk Assessment adopted May 2025 Renewal May 2026
GDPR Policy adopted May 2025 Renewal May 2026
Privacy Policy adopted May 2025 Renewal 2026
Equalities Policy adopted May 2025 Renewal May 2026
Annual Review of the Effectiveness of Internal Control adopted May 2025 Renewal 2026
Duties of the RFO adopted May 2025 Renewal 2026
Information Available from SPC Under The Model Publication Scheme Policy adopted May 2025 Renewal May 2026
Media Policy adopted May 2025 Renewal May 2026
Grievance Policy Adopted May 2025 Renewal May 2028
Role of a Parish Councillor Adopted May 2025 Renewal May 2028
Filming at Meetings Policy Adopted May 2025 Renewal May 2028
Co-Option Policy Adopted May 2025 Renewal May 2028
Grant Awarding Policy Adopted May 2025 Renewal May 2028
Grant Awarding Policy – please request a Word version from the Clerk if required for completion.
Disciplinary Policy Adopted May 2025 Renewal May 2028
Health and Safety Policy Adopted May 2025 Renewal May 2028
Information and IT Security Policy Adopted May 2025 Renewal May 2028
Lone Worker Policy Adopted May 2025 Renewal May 2028
Record Management Policy Adopted May 2025 Renewal May 2028
Training Policy Adopted May 2025 Renewal May 2028
Transparency Code for Smaller Authorities Adopted March 2025 Renewal 2028
Complaints Policy Adopted May 2025 Renewal May 2028
Parish Council Website Accessibility Statement
Armed Forces Covenant