Why does Icklesham Parish Council still not understand Annual Parish Meetings?

On 23 May (delayed from 16 May), Icklesham Parish Council will be holding its Annual Parish Assembly or Meeting. What Icklesham have never been understood is that an APM is intended to be a meeting of the community, not the council.

The agenda is therefore supposed to be set by the community, not the council. Guidance to councils suggests that organisations from within the parish be invited to speak about what they have been doing. This is done very successfully in parishes like Sedlescombe and at the Annual Town Meeting in Winchelsea. It is also suggested that a particular local issue, something important or controversial, be included on the agenda to attract public interest.


The special nature of APMs has been explained to Icklesham Parish Council again and again by Winchelsea councillors but to no avail. It is doubtful whether most Icklesham parish councillors know the difference between the APM and the council's AGM.

The consequence is that Icklesham APMs are pointless affairs, attended by few residents (audiences are largely councillors, their spouses and speakers). This year looks as if it will be the same. No community groups have been invited to make presentations and there are no real parish issues on the agenda. Instead, there will be the usual reports by the chairman, clerk and the County and District councillors. The National Trust's local Property Manager has been invited to speak about the work of the Trust in Winchelsea and will give exactly the same presentation as he gave in Winchelsea in May and again in November of last year. There will be a presentation from the Rural Rother Trust, a local small grants charity, and from Rye Community Transport, whose organiser happens to live in Rye Harbour. Where are the sports clubs, societies, allotment-holders, neighbourhood watches, emergency groups, the local PCSO, youth clubs, village halls, churches, local businesses, etc? Where is the discussion of speeding traffic (the number one problem identified by residents) or the Diamond Jubilee (the big local event next year)?