Role of the Parish Council

Introduction to the Parish

Ashwick lies at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills. It is set in rolling countryside, in the area between Shepton Mallet, Wells and Frome, with Bath being about 15 miles to the north-east. For those who do not know the area Oakhill will probably be a better known name (and easier to find on the map!): Oakhill village is within the Parish of Ashwick. There are also a number of other small settlements in the Parish, including the hamlet of Neighbourne, a cluster of dwellings near Ashwick Church, plus parts of Nettlebridge, Benter and Gurney Slade.

The area is rich in history: Ashwick is an ancient settlement going back to the 9th Century AD, but with much older connections – the earliest traces of human occupation are Neolithic tumuli dating back to more than 4,000 years BC and there are two Roman roads crossing the area. In early modern times the people of Ashwick were very active in the wool trade, with many Parishioners employed in stocking-making in particular. Then in 1767, thanks to the excellent quality of the Mendip spring water, the Oakhill Brewery was started. The Brewery soon became the major employer for the area and responsible for the growth of Oakhill from a small hamlet to the village it is today. This was the only Brewery in the country to have its own light railway, and the famous Oakhill Invalid Stout once sold in larger quantities than did Guinness! Sadly, a disastrous fire in 1925 led to the Brewery’s demise.

The Parish remains a largely rural area with picturesque rolling countryside scattered with outlying farms. Some farms concentrate on dairy farming, others on beef cattle, with sheep becoming more popular again. Agriculture is now the main economic activity locally. Apart from farming, many residents commute to surrounding towns, including Bath and Bristol, a few even as far as London, while others have small businesses or work from home. Ashwick attracts tourists from far and wide, providing comfortable places to stay with good walking, interesting history and ease of access further afield.

Ashwick Parish may be rural, but it is a very lively community with plenty going on for all ages and tastes, as we hope this website will demonstrate.

Ashwick Parish Council serves a population of around 1291 people in a parish that encompasses the village of Ashwick, Oakhill, parts of Gurney Slade, the hamlets of Benter, Neighbourne, and roughly half of Nettlebridge.

The Parish Council, which meets on a monthly basis at the village hall, is an elected, unpaid body and consists of a Chairman, Vice Chairman and 9 councillors, who employ a paid part-time Parish Clerk. The cost of works undertaken by the Parish Council is met by raising a precept; this is the amount of money that the Parish Council requests Somerset Council to raise on behalf of the Parish Council through the Council Tax.

Your Parish Council and its councillors are involved in many aspects of community life and works closely with Somerset Council in many areas such as transport, highways, community support officers and so on.  The Parish Council is consulted on and advises on, local planning applications and other planning issues, these taking up about half of the Parish council’s time.

The monthly Parish Council meetings are the forum for debating issues and formulating plans and actions – a public participation session is held before the start of each Parish Council meeting to enable all the electorate to bring forward matters of concern and interest directly to their Parish Council. The agendas for the monthly meetings are set a week before, and parishioners written or verbal requests for items to be debated are considered for inclusion. Agendas are displayed on Parish notice boards and approved minutes of meetings held are published on this web site and notice boards in the parish.

Parishioners can also raise issues through the parish clerk or through their Somerset Ward councillors.

Ashwick Parish Council represents the local community and looks after local interests; meetings are relatively informal and parishioners input is welcome.

There are several footpaths around the parish please click for the link to Explore Somerset – Rights of Way Map.

There are occasional roadworks in the area, to be kept up to date please click for the line to One.Network