What is a parish council
Parish councils are democratically elected bodies with statutory powers. They are sometimes seen as the ‘first tier’ of local government, and they work with local organisations and other tiers of local government to carry out their functions.
The roles and activities of different parish councils vary, but generally involve:
- Community representation
- Local service delivery - which may include community grants, bus shelters, play areas, provision of allotments, opens space maintenance, etc
- Local administration involvement - such as serving as statutory consultees on planning matters, etc
A parish council should aim to improve community engagement, bring communities closer together and create better local democracy.
‘Parish’ council is a generic designation and that council, if established, may resolve to be known as a ‘community’, ‘village’ or ‘neighbourhood’ council to distinguish it from an ecclesiastical parish.
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