The Parish Council

Parish and town councils ensure that local voices are heard on critical issues, from planning and development to health and safety.

Local councils are the first tier of local government and are statutory bodies:

• They serve electorates, are independently elected, and raise their precept (a form of council tax). Across England, there are 10,000 parish and town councils and around 100,000 councillors.

Parish and town council activities fall into three categories:

• Delivering services to meet local needs, giving the community a voice and representation, and improving the quality of life and community wellbeing.

Depending on their size, they may run a range of services including:

• Local services such as allotments, car parks, celebrations and festivals, community buses, community and leisure centres, litter bins, parks and open spaces, public toilets and street lights.
• Improving the quality of life through the provision of community hubs, neighbourhood plans, funding community projects and services, suitable housing, setting up dementia-friendly groups, solar panels, tackling loneliness and youth projects, etc.,
• Giving the community a voice on planning matters with principal authorities and developers, local police and health services, and the government.