The next Parish Council meeting will be held on Monday 17th March 2025 at 7pm in the Victory Hall.
Parish Council Seats and Clerk
Parish Clerk:
Naomi Callaghan
clerk@templesowerbyvillage.co.uk
Address for correspondence: 4 Chapel Mews, Gaisgill, Penrith, CA10 3DN
Parish Councillors:
Kevin Overs (Chair)
07768858515
kevinovers@ymail.com
Caryl Prior Varty (Vice Chair)
07740422310
caryl.varty@btinternet.com
Andi Sambrook
sambrook@talk21.com
Lisa Robinson
07876505347
lisadrobinson2711@gmail.com
Cliff Atkinson
cliff.atkinson@rocketmail.com
For more information please see the Parish Council Meeting Papers (Minutes and Agendas), The Parish Council Policies, Parish Council Financial Statements and the Parish Council Website Accessibility information.
A Parish Council is a statutory body and the first tier of local government, making decisions itself, but also representing local people at other levels. It is the level of Council closest to the community, with Eden District and then Cumbria County Councils being above it in hierarchy. The Council has the power to raise money through taxation, called the precept, which forms a part of the Council Tax.
Parish Councillors are local people who are either elected or co-opted to the Parish Council. They volunteer and give their time freely because they seek to make a positive contribution to their community. Temple Sowerby has five Parish Councillors.
The Parish Clerk is an employee of the Parish Council and is responsible for managing the Council’s business, providing advice and implementing decisions.
Meetings are held every two months in the Victory Hall, which the people who live and work in the Parish are encouraged to attend. There are other meetings that are attended by the clerk and councillors as required such as on planning issues, tree management etc.
Here are some things we do
- Give views on behalf of the community eg we are consulted on planning applications and other proposals that affect the parish.
- Undertake projects and schemes that benefit local residents and businesses eg The Speed Indicator Device, Website, provision of parking spaces to the north of the Churchyard, management of the Village Green.
- Work in partnership with other bodies to achieve benefits for the Parish eg with Eden District Council, Cumbria County Council, United Utilities, Natural England
- Alert relevant authorities to problems that arise or work that needs to be undertaken eg Cumbria County Council on footpath issues
- Help the other tiers of local government keep in touch with their local community. The District Councillor and County Councillor regularly attend our meetings.
- Manage the three Parish Houses in the village, which also provide income to the Parish
For Councillors Register of Interests: Click here to see full details on the Eden website
Useful Information:
Highways If you need to report new issues with roads, pavements, street lighting or traffic signals use the Highways Hotline on 0300 303 2992 or you can Report a Fault by filling in an online form.
Planning For information on making a planning application, as well as viewing and commenting on applications look at Westmorland and Furness Council’s website.
Conservation Area A large part of the village falls within a Conservation area. Visit here for the map and further details.
MP: Neil Hudson (Conservative) 017684 84114 neil.hudson.mp@parliament.uk www.neilhudson.org.uk
County Councillor: David Whipp (Conservative) 07795 401739 david.whipp@cumbria.gov.uk Cumbria County Council
District Councillor: Henry Sawrey-Cookson (Independent Alliance) 017683 61574 henry.sawrey-cookson@eden.gov.uk Eden District Council
Also see our Village Information page.