FAQs

Councillors represent their community, play an important role in local decision making and set policy of the Town Council.

They act as ambassadors for the town, understanding priorities of residents and may make representation to the Borough Council.

They attend Full Council meetings in addition to being members of Committees and Working Groups. They may also serve on local bodies/organisations.

Town Councillors sign a Declaration of Acceptance of Office and thereby undertake to observe an ethical Code of Conduct when dealing with matters on behalf of the community.

There is an expectation that Councillors will attend local civic events such as Remembrance Sunday and Civic Sunday.

The precept is the amount of money that the council requires from council tax to meet its annual budget. Local councils do not receive any direct funding from central government, therefore are reliant on the local precept and any other income they generate from the services or facilities that they provide.

The Town Council is required (in law) to agree a budget before it can set its precept. When calculating the precept, the Council takes into consideration the current year’s spend and the services it provides e.g. asset maintenance, grants, events, provision for reserves and income.

Once the budget and precept have been approved for the following financial year, the Council informs Cheshire East Council who collect the precept on our behalf. The Bollington precept is included in your council tax.

Councillors have invested a significant amount of time in reviewing options including office and meeting room space in the Civic Hall. As analysis clearly showed these  to be extremely impractical, achieving no savings, and financially unviable, costing well over twice to three times what is required on improvements to the Town Hall.

The Town Hall is already used a lot more than merely for formal meetings. There are daily visitors with enquiries and business to transact, the six staff require work space, the Police Community Support Officer has access to their office and desk, kitchen and toilet facilities are needed to support the work of the Council and our visitors while we need storage space for the archives as well as equipment for road closures and garage work space for our Town Wardens.

The report of the Town Hall Improvement Working Group is founded on data provided by David Trowler Associates, a well-established surveyor.

The Civic Hall community space is located above Bollington library and is regularly hired out for dance classes, fitness groups, play sessions, meetings and parties. Twice a year, the Bollington Musical Theatre Group (formally BLOG) entertains us with spectacular shows.

The hall is available for hire, subject to availability, between 8am and midnight every day of the year. Prices and how to enquire about availability can be found on our Civic Hall webpage.

Bollington Town Council has an annual grant scheme to help local organisations which benefit the town. In 2024/25, the Council awarded grants to the following groups:

• Kerridge Cricket Club
• The Mayor of Bollington Senior Citizen Welfare Committee
• Bollington Photographic Group
• Bollington Brass Band
• Kerridge Ridge & Ingersley Vale Volunteers (KRIV)
• The Bridgend Centre
• Bollington Walking Festival
• Bollington Well Dressers
• MHA Communities Cheshire East (Bollington lunch club)
• Bollington Civic Society
• 2^nd Bollington Rainbow Guides
• Bollington Live
• Bollington Initiative Trust
• Bollington Health and Leisure
• Macclesfield RSPB Wildlife Explorers (Bollington swift conservation)

The Council supports the annual Well Dressing Festival, Kerridge War Memorial parade and Love Bollington Market by applying for and staffing road closures. It stores some equipment owned by Bollington Borrowers and recently agreed to host a cabin for additional items.

Councillors support community groups such as the Bridgend Centre and Bollington Initiative Trust by attending meetings as Council representatives.

We deliver a number of events throughout the year to commemorate occasions of national significance such as D Day 80 in 2024 as well as events which provide information and advice like the Mental Health and Wellbeing event in 2024. Not forgetting the annual and much-loved Carols Around the Tree on Christmas Eve!