Halstead Town Council has recently regained its Local Council award scheme Gold status, one of a very small number in Essex which have achieved this prestigious award, which signifies that the Council is working at a high level, and doing the best a council can for it’s residents.
Halstead Town Council has always perceived its role as serving the community, providing advice and support, ensuring that the regulations which local government imposes are followed, and improving the lives of residents.
The council has many statutory functions: management of car parks, public toilets, hiring and management of public hall, allotments, closed churchyards, management of sports ground, provision of public open spaces, consultee on planning, war memorials, town clock, streetwarden to name a few.
In addition the council aims to lay on events and activities for different age groups, such as the bands in the park, the switching on of the Christmas lights and the torchlight procession.
It also has direct responsibility for financial resources. The work involves being accountable for large expenditures from an agreed budget, and precept paid by Braintree District Council, which is a small proportion of the council tax paid by Halstead residents to BDC.
The Council has existed since 1974. When management of council activity became more regulated in 2004, Halstead Town Council was rated as a Local Council Band 2 council, based on the number of responsibilities it had, the number of meetings held, the number of committees and the number of councillors and members of staff. Since that date, the responsibilities of the council have grown considerably as have the number of staff members, and the Council has now been reclassified as Local Council Band 3.