THE ROLE AND POWERS OF PARISH
COUNCILS
THE ROLE OF PARISH AND TOWN COUNCILS
There are over 9,000 parish and town councils in England and they form the tier of
local government closest to the people. The term "town council" is synonymous with
"parish council" in that any parish council can style itself "town council" if it
considers it appropriate so to do. Collectively, parish and town councils, and
community councils in Wales, are often termed "local councils". The chairman of a
town council may be styled "town mayor".
Parish and town councils are local authorities and have a limited number of duties.
They do, however, have wide powers, should they decide to use them and they may,
with agreement of the district or county council, exercise certain functions normally
carried out by those councils.
By their very nature, parish and town councils should maintain a close relationship
with the local community. They encourage the public to attend council meetings as
observers and they are obliged to organise at least one town or parish meeting each
year which all local electors may attend and may raise issues of local concern.
THE POWERS OF PARISH AND TOWN COUNCILS
Some of the more important powers of parish and town councils are listed
alphabetically below. Where a power is marked with an asterisk a parish or town
council may, in addition to exercising the power itself, help another body to act by
giving financial assistance.
FUNCTION
Allotments
Borrowing
Burial Grounds, Cemeteries and
Crematoria - see also Churchyards *
Bus Shelters *
Bye Laws
POWERS
Power to provide and maintain allotments
for cultivation
Parish and Town Councils can borrow
money for up to a maximum of 25 years,
provided official consent has been
obtained.
Powers to provide and maintain and
power to agree to maintain monuments
and memorials.
Power to provide and maintain bus
shelters
Power to make bye-laws in regard to:
Pleasure grounds
Charities
Churchyards - see also Burial Grounds,
Cemeteries and Crematoria
Clocks *
Community Centres - see also Halls,
Public Buildings and Village Halls
Conference Facilities
Crime Prevention *
Drainage
Entertainments and the Arts *
Footpaths - see also rights of way
Gifts - see also land
Halls - see also Community Centres,
Public Buildings and Village Halls *
Highways
Cycle parks
Baths and Washhouses
Open spaces and burial grounds
Mortuaries and post-mortem rooms
Duty to receive accounts of parochial
charities
Power to contribute to the costs of a
churchyard in use
Provision and maintenance of public
clocks, on churches or elsewhere.
Power to provide and equip buildings for
use of clubs having athletic, social or
educational objectives
Power to provide and encourage the use of
conference facilities
Powers to spend money on various crime
prevention measures
Power to deal with ponds and ditches
Provision of entertainment and support of
the arts
Power to repair and maintain public
footpaths and bridleways
Power to accept
Provision of buildings for public meetings
and functions, for indoor sports or
physical recreation, or for the use of clubs
or societies having recreational, social or
athletic objects.
Power to light roads and public places
Power to provide parking places for
vehicles, bicycles and motor-cycles
Power to enter into agreement as to
dedication and widening
Consent of parish council required for
ending maintenance of highway at public
expense, or for stopping up or diversion of
highway
Power to provide traffic signs and other
notices
Power to plant trees, etc and to maintain
roadside verges
Land
Legal Proceedings
Lighting
Litter *
Open Spaces - see also Parks, Playing
Fields, Recreation and Village Greens
Parking Places
Parks - see also Open Spaces, Playing
Fields and Recreation
Planning
Playing Fields - see also Open Spaces,
Parks and Recreation *
Postal and Telecommunication
Facilities
Public Buildings and Village Halls
Public Conveniences
Recreation
Power to acquire by agreement, to
appropriate, to dispose of
Power to accept gifts of land
Power to prosecute and defend any legal
proceedings in the interests of the
inhabitants. Power to take part in any
public local inquiry.
Provision and maintenance of any footway
lighting which lights roads or pavements
provided the columns are not above
specified heights.
Provision of litter-bins in streets and
support for anti-litter campaigns.
Power to acquire land and maintain open
spaces for the benefit of the public
Provision and management of car and
cycle parks.
Provision and maintenance of public parks
and appropriate facilities.
Local councils have a right to be notified
of any planning application affecting their
area and to make comments which the
planning authority must take into account.
Provision and maintenance of land for any
kind of outdoor recreation, including
boating pools.
Power to pay a public telecommunications
operator any loss sustained in providing
post or telegraph office or
telecommunications facilities
Power to provide buildings for offices and
for public meetings and assemblies
Provision and maintenance of public
lavatories.
Power to acquire land for or to provide
recreation grounds, public walks, pleasure
grounds and open spaces and to manage
and control them
Power to provide gymnasiums, playing
fields, holiday camps
Rights of Way
Provision of boating pools
Maintenance of public footpaths and
bridleways.
Power to plant and maintain roadside
verges.
Provision and maintenance of public seats
Seats *
Power to erect signs which warn of
Signs
dangers or announce a place name, or
indicate a bus stop.
Provision of indoor or outdoor swimming
Swimming *
pool or bathing places.
Power to contribute to organisations
Tourism *
encouraging
Powers to contribute financially to traffic
Traffic Calming
calming schemes
Powers to spend money on community
Transport *
transport schemes
Village Greens - see also Open Spaces * Power to maintain the village or town
green
Power to maintain, repair, protect and
War Memorials
adapt war memorials.
In any situation not covered by one of the
General Expenditure Power
specific powers described above a council
may spend a limited amount of money on
any purpose which in its opinion is of
direct benefit to its area or to the
inhabitants.
Roadside Verges