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Welcome to The Orchards and Margaret Marsh Parish Council

Your Councillors

Finance

Agendas and Minutes

Contact Us

Latest News
Next Meeting

Meetings are held four times a year in September, December, February and May. 

The meeting for the 2025-2026 term will be held on the second Monday of the month.  

  • Monday 8th September 2025
  • Monday 8th December 2025 
  • Monday 9th February 2026  

The meeting dates will only be updated if the number of Councillors present is likely to be insufficient to constitute a quorum. 

Agenda: Agendas will be published at least three working days prior to the meeting.

Minutes: Draft minutes are published within 10 working days of the meeting. Approved minutes are published once they are signed at the subsequent meeting. 

 

Last Meeting

Tuesday 27th May 2025 at 6pm at Manston Village Hall.

  • 6pm: The Annual Parish Meeting of the joint parishes
  • 6:45pm: The Annual General Meeting and 177th meeting of the Parish Council.

Agenda and Minutes are available here 

Planning Applications

The Parish Council is a statutory consultee in the planning process. It must be informed of all planning applications or application amendments that affect their parish area, and must consider their views when making decisions. However, the PC does not have the authority to approve or deny planning permission.

Please let the council know if you have any comments or concerns relating to current applications.

You can see current and past planning applications under the Planning section of this website and on the Dorset Council site.

The Orchards and Margaret Marsh Parish Council  - The voice of local people.

The parish council is the level of government closest to the community and feeds into Dorset Council, the district authority. 

As the authority closest to the people, the parish council is often the first place people come to with their concerns about or ideas for the parish, and as a result, it forms a vital part of any community.  If you would like to know more about the role of the Parish Council, and how to become a Parish Councillor, please see here


New Council Year and New Councillors

 

Cllr Cliff Christensen was voted in as Chair of the Council at the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council on May 27th 2025.

Cllr Gary Stokes was voted in as Deputy Chair of the Council.

The Parish Council were also delighted to welcome two new Members, Cllr Andy Tebbutt-Russell and Cllr James Elliott, to the Council at their meeting on Tuesday, 27th May 2025, bringing the total number of Councillors for the council to five.  

 

Your Councillors 

Member for Margaret Marsh: Cllr Gary Stokes
Members for East Orchards and Hartgrove: Cllr Cliff Christensen, Cllr Daniel Woodruffe, and Cllr James Elliott,
Member for West Orchards:  Andy Tebbutt-Russell


Would you like to be a Councillor?

We still have vacancies for councillors to represent West Orchard and Margaret Marsh. Please visit our Council Information page if you are interested in becoming a Parish Councillor, and use the 'Contact the Council' to get in touch. Don't worry if you haven't got any experience. DAPTC offer a comprehensive range of training activities to support all counsellors. DAPTC Star Award: Certificate

Annual Accounts

Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) The Orchards and Margaret Marsh Parish Council for the financial year ended 31st March 2025 and Notice of the Period for the Exercise of Public Right are published in the Finance Section. [Electors’ rights statement under Regulation 15(2)(b) of the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015]

Rights to inspect the statement of accounts and accounting records

Sections 25 and 26 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 (‘the Act’) provide local government electors with the right to inspect and make copies of the statement of accounts, accounting records and all documents relating to those records, for the financial year ended 31st March 2025. In accordance with Regulation 15(2) of the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015, the Right to inspect the accounts and relevant accounting records can be arranged by informing the Parish Clerk/Chairman of your intention to exercise your rights.

Rights to question the auditor and to make objections at audit

Under section 26 of the Act, a local government elector may question the auditor about the accounting records for the financial year ended 31 March 2025 and, under section 27 of the Act, a local government elector may make an objection to the auditor which either concerns a matter in respect of which the auditor could make a public interest report under section 24 of the Act; or concerns an item of account in respect of which the auditor could apply for a declaration that the item is unlawful under section 28 of the Act.

Exercise of Rights
These rights may be exercised from 3rd June 2025 to 12th July 2025 by viewing the accounts on the website or by prior arrangement with the Parish Clerk or Chair. Email clerk@orchardsandmargaretmarsh-pc.gov.uk. Any requests to question the auditor and any objections must be made in writing to the auditor at the following address: BDO LLP, Arcadia House, Maritime Walk, Ocean Village, Southampton, SO14 3TL. A copy of any objection must also be sent by email to the Parish Clerk/Chair of the council.

Contacting the Council

 You can contact us via our 'Contact Us' page. You can also join us at our Parish Council meetings.

All meetings begin with a 'Public Participation' session, which allows members of the public to ask questions, make representations, or discuss items on the agenda. If you wish to raise a matter that is not related to the current agenda items, you may do so. However, the council’s discussion on that issue may need to be deferred until a later meeting, as the council can only make a legally binding decision on items that are included on the agenda.

Our Parish Group

 The Group Council area comprises of the three small rural parishes of East Orchard, Margaret Marsh and West Orchard.

The three adjoining parishes are located in a low-lying part of the Blackmore Vale midway between Shaftesbury and Sturminster Newton. The Manston Brook, made up of the combined waters of the Key and Sturkell brooks, forms the parish boundary between East and West Orchard.

Read more in the 'Your Parish' section for the history and current of the Parish