What is a Parish Council?
Most people have no idea what a parish council actually does, and that is not their fault — nobody is ever told. This page is the same on every Beacon site.
What it is
A parish council is the first and smallest tier of local government in England. Its members are elected, it can raise money through a precept added to your council tax, and it must meet in public and publish what it decides. It is a proper public body, with legal duties — not a residents' association or a club.
What it can do
Parish councils own and look after local assets: recreation grounds, play equipment, benches, noticeboards, bus shelters, allotments, burial grounds, village greens. They can fund things — a grant to the village hall, a defibrillator, a speed indicator device. They must be consulted on every planning application in the parish, and they can spend a limited amount on anything they judge to be of benefit to the area.
What it cannot do
This is the important half. A parish council does not decide planning applications — it gives a view, and the borough decides, sometimes against that view. It does not maintain roads, pavements, street lights or drains; that is the county. It does not collect bins, deal with fly-tipping, or handle noise complaints; that is the borough. It does not run schools, social care or libraries. It has no police powers.
If you report a pothole to a parish council, the best it can do is pass your report on. Going straight to the county is faster — see Report an issue.
How it fits together
Parish council → borough or district council → county council (or a single unitary authority) → Parliament. Each tier does different things and each is elected separately.
Attending a meeting
You can attend any ordinary meeting. Meetings are advertised at least three clear days in advance, with the agenda. Most set aside time at the start for public participation, where you can raise anything you like. You may not join the debate on agenda items themselves — that part is for councillors — but you can listen to all of it, and the minutes are published afterwards.
A council may exclude the public from a specific item where the business is confidential — staffing or contract terms, usually — and must record that it has done so and why.
Becoming a councillor
You must be 18 or over, a British, Commonwealth, Irish or EU citizen, and either registered to vote in the parish, or living or working within three miles of it. You do not need any qualification, any political party, or any experience. Seats are filled at election, and vacancies between elections are usually filled by co-option — which in practice means asking.
Most parish councils have unfilled seats. If yours does, it is shown on the overview page.