- To represent the residents of Horspath in any communications, consultations, negotiations or disputes with the other levels of local government in England, namely the South Oxfordshire District Council, Oxfordshire County Council, the South East England Regional Assembly, and the Government Office of the South East.
- To help protect and enhance the general interests, safety and well-being of the residents of Horspath, the attractive rural character of the Oxford Green Belt which surrounds the village, the high quality rural environment of the village itself, and its independence and physical separation from the City of Oxford.
- To encourage and support Horspath village community activities by its ownership of the Village Hall, the Recreation Ground, the Bowley Field, the Children's Play Area, the adjacent sports field, and the Wildlife Conservation Area, and by its support for the wide range of village sporting activities and social clubs and associations in the village.
- To provide a safe, peaceful and beautiful Parish Council Burial Ground in a green and pleasant location in the village, for the interment of the remains of any deceased person who has been resident in Horspath for a significant part of their life. The use of this Burial Ground is defined in a set of Rules which are posted on the site and available to read on-line here or to download in the PDF version (17Kb).
- To act as Trustees of the Village Green charity, to protect it from encroachment by private or commercial use and by motor vehicles, and to keep it well maintained for public use and recreation, including its use as the venue for the annual fair commemorating the Feast of St. Giles, the patron saint of the village Church.
- To respond to any Planning Applications on which the Parish Council is consulted. The Council does not take planning decisions itself, but is consulted by South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC) about all Planning Applications relating to Horspath, and it makes recommendations to SODC based upon its understanding of the best interests of village residents, sometimes sending a Parish Councillor to represent village interests at the SODC Planning Committee, and occasionally to other (planning) Public Inquiries and Examinations in Public (of draft Local, Structure, or Regional plans) if matters of great importance for the future of Horspath are to be determined there. Very occasionally, the Parish Council needs to employ a specialist planning lawyer to represent the interests of Horspath, as it did for the Bridge Public Inquiry.
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