About the Community Council
The readers of Wenvoe What’s On are happy to be living in a village that is well situated between the metropolis of Cardiff and the tranquillity of the Vale of Glamorgan and it’s lush countryside. Wenvoe is a quiet village with a fine reputation, and its people live in harmony with one another.
This well-ordered way of life is not something we take for granted; rather it is thanks to the Wenvoe Community Council, as well as the Vale of Glamorgan Council that things run so smoothly. This article will focus on the Community Council, how it works and what it does for the community which includes Dyffryn, St Lythans, Twyn-yr-Odyn, Brooklands as well as the village.
Community Councils are the grassroots level of local governance in Wales. They take decision-making out of the town hall and put it back into the community. They give people of any age and background a say about what goes on in their area. Community Councils also provide a forum for consultation with local people, giving residents an opportunity to influence how County Council and other services are delivered. Attending the meetings allows local people and councillors a time to get to know groups and organisations that work in the area, including the police.
In the Vale of Glamorgan there are over 20 Community Councils and there are over 730 community and town councils throughout Wales. Some represent populations of fewer than 200 people, others populations of over 45,000 people; but they all work to improve the quality of life and environment for citizens in their area.
Community Councils are accountable to local people and have a duty to represent the interests of the different parts of the community equally. The Wenvoe Community Council has 11 members and that includes the Chairman Colin Thomas, and Jonathan Bird who is also a Councillor on the Vale of Glamorgan Council.
Each year the Council agree a precept, which is then collected from residents as part of the Council Tax charge. This figure changes but at present it is about £25.000. The Council draws up a budget each year and decides how to spend the money. The Council employs a part time Clerk, Tony Williams, who works from 9 am to 1 pm every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from the Community Centre. He is often the first point of contact for a resident with a question or problem. He is paid by the Community Council and examples of other expenditure would be grass cutting around the village and at Twyn yr Odyn, the 
maintenance of the Memorial Garden adjacent to the Wenvoe Arms, the cemetery and the Community Centre.
Your Council is also responsible for organising the allotments at Twyn yr Odyn, the council take part in the Remembrance Day parade and service, the hosting of the gathering following the annual Community Carol Service and for keeping an eye on planning applications that will affect the community. Looking ahead the Council hopes to be able to provide a proper new building for the library and it will be working to ensure the successful integration of the two new residential developments at either end of the village.
Any committee or board always needs new people with enthusiasm to join it and Wenvoe Community Council is no exception. The next elections are in May and anyone who is interested will be able to put their names forward for election. A notice about this will be carried in local papers, notice boards and Wenvoe What’s On nearer the time. If you think you have the time to serve your community do consider putting your name forward. The work is not onerous with the council meeting formally one evening a month in the Community Centre. There are also sub-committees and other meetings taking place as well as regular contacts with the public and other bodies.
We are fortunate to have a well organised and efficient Community Council in Wenvoe, and perhaps you may wish to play your part in it for the sake of future generations.
