What is a Parish Council?
Parish or Town Councils are an important tier of Government within the UK; a Parish/Town Council is the smallest and most localised tier of local government in the UK and is a properly constituted local authority.
The powers and duties, and the manner in which a Parish Council operates are laid out in local government statute and regulations; Parish Councils operate at a level below national government and also below district and borough councils. Parish & Town Councils are elected and can help on a number of local issues, like planning applications or running local sports grounds and community halls.
Generally the role of a parish council is to improve the quality of community life for their parish and its inhabitants.
They can:
- Give views, on behalf of their community, on planning applications and other proposals that affect the parish.
- Undertake projects and schemes that benefit local residents.
- Work in partnership with other bodies to achieve benefits for the parish.
- Alert relevant authorities to problems that arise or work that needs to be undertaken.
- Help the other tiers of local government keep in touch with their local communities.
Source: Herefordshire Association of Local Councils (HALC)
Powers & Responsibilites from the Herefordshire Council website.
The Parish Council has legal responsibilities as an employer, and sometimes as an owner of public land and buildings.
Parish Councils are Statutory Bodies, having powers under a number of different Acts (the Local Government Act 1972, the Public Health Act 1936, etc.). Only a few Councils need to use all their available powers. It is up to each Council to choose what is appropriate for the community they serve.
The Council raises funds by the annual Precept is set in January of each year. The amount required is guided by the setting of the annual budget in the November preceding.
The Parish Council precept is added to the Council Tax bill and collected by Herefordshire Council (on behalf of the Parish Council).
The Council also raises funds through grants from other organisations.