Parliamentary Constituency
Whitmore is in the Stone Constituency and the seat is held by Sir Bill Cash MP, a member of the Conservative Party. The constituency is a large one and mainly rural other than the urban area of Stone itself. Sir Bill’s website is http://www.billcashmp.co.uk/ The local branch of the Conservative Party is Newcastle Rural Conservatives: www.nrconservatives.uk/
County Council Constituency
Whitmore is in the Newcastle Rural constituency of Staffordshire. This ward covers Betley, Madeley, Whitmore and Loggerheads. There is one County Councillor and the seat is held by Paul Northcott. a member of the Conservative Party. The County website is: https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Homepage.aspx
Borough Council Constituency
Whitmore is in the Maer & Whitmore ward. There is one Borough Councillor and the seat is held by Graham Hutton. The Borough website is: https://www.newcastle-staffs.gov.uk/
Parish Councils
Parish councils have a variety of powers and duties, all of which impact directly on the community. These cover: Allotments; Burial Grounds; Cemeteries; Churchyards; Crematoria; Bus Shelters; Bye-laws (the power to make bye-laws concerning: baths & washhouses (swimming pools); cycle parks; mortuaries & pleasure grounds); Clocks – public clocks can be provided and must be maintained; Community Centres; Conference Centres; Halls; Public Buildings; Drainage of ditches & ponds; Entertainment & the Arts; Footpaths; General Spending (parish councils can spend a limited amount of money on anything they deem of benefit to the community that is not covered by the other specific responsibilities described in this list); Gifts (parish councils may accept gifts); Highways (lighting, parking places, right to enter into discussions about new roads and road widening, consent of parish council required for diversion or discontinuation of highway, traffic signs & other notices, tree planting and verge maintenance); Land (acquisition and sale of); Legal proceedings (power to prosecute and defend any legal proceedings in the interests of the community, power to take part in any public enquiry); Litter (provision of litter-bins and support for any anti-litter campaigns); Planning (parish councils may be notified of any planning applications for the area); Postal and Telecommunication Facilities (power to pay a public telecommunications operator any loss sustained in providing services in that area); Public conveniences (provision and maintenance of public toilets); Recreation (provision of recreation grounds, public walkways, pleasure grounds, open spaces, village greens, gymnasiums, playing fields, holiday camps and boating ponds); Rights of Way (footpath and bridleway maintenance); Seats (public); Signs (danger signs, place names & bus stops signs); Tourism (financial contributions to any local tourist organisations allowed); Traffic Calming; War Memorials; and Water Supply (power to utilise stream, well or spring water and to provide facilities for general use).
Locality Action Partnerships
The Newcastle Partnership is committed to working together to deliver change, and to ensure that people are able to influence issues, priorities and activities in their localities across two key priorities of vulnerability and economic growth. It has therefore placed locality working at the heart of its work, as it empowers communities to develop their own approaches to dealing with issues affecting their own localities and enhances wider partnership working.
Locality Action Partnerships (LAPs) represent the Newcastle Partnership’s established infrastructure for the delivery of locality working and offer communities access to a range of partners to address and deliver against local needs and priorities. Also, LAPs assist in community engagement and empowerment and play a part in the achievement of improved community cohesion. There are nine LAPs in the borough, which are made up of a range of partners from the public, private, community and voluntary sectors with an interest in their area. Whitmore is in the Newcastle Rural LAP.
Safer Neighbourhood Panel
The Staffordshire Police & Crime Commissioner urges local residents to step forward to join the panel to help to influence policing at the most local level in their communities.The panels shape local policing and community safety and shine the spotlight on the work done by police in their area to ensure greater transparency and help build public confidence. They examine the impact of policing, community resolutions and restorative justice, on their communities. Panel members receive training to help them carry out their role so that they can be involved in innovative work such as examining body camera footage captured during “stop and searches” by local officers. Whitmore is part of the Newcastle-under-Lyme SNP. They are co-ordinated by the local council in each area but have the freedom to decide how they operate according to local needs. Safer Neighbourhood Panels give local people the opportunity to hold policing in their area to account.
https://staffordshire-pfcc.gov.uk/volunteer/neighbourhood-panel/