Winsham Parish Council  was one of the first to be formed following Gladstone's Local Government Act in 1894. More than one hundred and twenty years later,  the council still meets in the same venue, and continues to steer the parish in a direction considered most likely to be of benefit for the people of the parish.

The years since the start of the new millennium have been ones of great change. The root of these changes, it can be argued, lies with the advent of the digital revolution, and its ability for the speedy recording, manipulation and transfer of large volumes of information including statistical data. This, linked to growth of the Internet, with something like 75% all households in the UK having a broadband connection, has created a situation where access  to great deal of detail relating to governance , both local and central, is available to most.

Successive governments have encouraged this ease of access. A consequence is that all levels of Government are required to be more transparent in the way that business is conducted. This is not to suggest that previously government business was not carried in a straight forward manner, it just means that the process is capable of being more carefully observed!

With this has come , perhaps, a more objective approach to the way that decisions are made. Certainly closer scrutiny by those who are interested is much easier. It has now become a statutory requirement for all parish councils to publish a great deal of detailed information about its operation. To meet this requirement Winsham Parish Council has produced its own web site. Previously, minutes of meetings and  information about the parish council activities were published on the Winsham Parish Web Site. Archived Minutes will  continue to be kept on this web site.

In practical terms, it has become essential for Winsham Parish Council, to have a fully trained Parish Clerk, who carries a great deal of responsibility for the legal activities of the parish council.

It has also been necessary for a permanent parish office to be set up, located in the Jubilee Hall, to provide a base for the parish clerk, and secure storage of important documents. It is also a venue for small meetings, and a place where councillors can meet Winsham residents for consultation and discussions. It is also able to make good use of the Jubilee Hall's broadband connection, now essential for the conduct of parish council business.

The new style of parish council also places greater pressures on the time of councillors, who  receive no remuneration for their services. It also places an extra burden in terms of responsibility and time on the chairman of the council.

	The Parish Plan and  Parish Survey 2013/4
	The 'Winsham Moot' 2014
	120th Anniversary Celebration 2014