Why do we have a Parish?

A Parish is the most local tier of administration and the first tier of democratic government.

What is a Parish?

There are two sorts of parishes, whose boundaries do not always coincide. These are:

The Ecclesiastical Parishes centred on an Anglican church with a parochial church council chaired by the vicar or rector.

The Civil Parishes that are part of local administration.

A Civil Parish is an independent, local democratic unit for villages and smaller towns, and for the suburbs of the main urban areas. Each Parish has a Council which is a small local authority. Its councillors are elected for four years at a time in the same way as for other councils. The next local elections for parish councils in the Braintree District will be in May 2003. Bye-elections may be held to fill vacancies occurring between elections. The council is the corporation of its village and each year the councillors choose a Chairman from amongst their number.

What powers have Parish Councils to do things for their areas?

Parish Councils have more formal powers to do things than are often suspected. They monitor street lighting, they can provide allotments, look after play areas and village greens. They have a hand in communications by maintaining or guarding such things as rights of way, bus shelters and public seats. They can also be involved in the provision of halls and meeting places. They provide village newsletters, guides or leaflets to newcomers — they make village surveys. Many provide car and cycle parks and others provide public conveniences, litterbins and public seats. They can also prosecute noisemakers or litter bugs. Many appoint charitable trustees and school governors. Very often a cemetery is managed by the Parish Council. They have the power to improve the quality of village life by spending sums of money on things, which, in their opinion, are in the interests of the parish or its inhabitants.

The Parish Council can do these things by actually providing them itself or by helping others (such as volunteers or a charity) financially to do them. Parish Councils thrive on volunteers. Parish Councils are the cheapest and least bureaucratic kind of local authority. They are funded by a small part of the Community Charge and get no general government grant, so they have every incentive to ensure that they give and get value for money.

Who controls the parish council?

The elected Chairman controls the business of a Parish Council meeting. The Parish Clerk, who is the Council’ s Chief Executive, takes the Minutes, carries out the approved policies of the Council and ensures the accounts are strictly kept and audited every year. Parish Council meetings are open to the public and an Assembly Meeting for all parish electors has, by law, to be held every year in April or May.

Parish reviews

Parish boundaries are regularly reviewed by District councils under the auspices of the Local Government Boundary Commission. The aim is to help ensure that parish boundaries correspond to the social communities in which people live.

What else is important?

Parish Councils are becoming more important because District Councils have become larger and more remote. Parish Councillors know the area they represent and are entitled to be consulted on planning applications, on such things as roads and footpaths and are invited to put the parish’s case at public enquiries. Within Braintree District, the 54 parish and town councils have also formed 14 parish cluster groups which provide forums for bottom-up feedback to the district council and other service providers on local issues needing action, and an opportunity for neighbouring parishes to discuss issues of common concern.

The following is extracted from the recent Rural White Paper, A Fair Deal For Rural England:

The first requirement of a ... parish council is that it is representative of its community. To demonstrate that, it will actively engage all its residents, businesses and surrounding landowners and managers in its work through regular meetings and events, newsletters, surveys, working groups, youth councils etc. In conjunction with them it will identify the needs of its community and set out its priorities for action in a readable and widely available parish plan. Working in partnership with principal local authorities (counties, districts and unitary authorities) and other agencies affecting its village, it will be a key part of their local consultation processes – contributing to housing, transport, health and other local plans. Working with partners, including the voluntary and community sector, (it) will undertake services funded from its own resources – looking after the village environment (litter, bus shelters, village green, cemeteries etc) and provide public facilities such as playgrounds and village halls. To promote inclusive communities it will support community transport schemes and childcare provision; seek suitable sites and projects for affordable housing, and help develop youth activities and services for the elderly. In partnership with its principal authority and others, (it) may wish to take on the delivery of some services (eg facilities management, litter collection, street lighting) ... where this represents best value and gives the local community the best deal. In most local areas strong links already exist between parish and town councils and the principal tiers. Following the joint Local Government Association/National Association of Local Councils concordat on relations between the tiers, many local authorities have agreed local level concordats and agreements on consultative and other links. These agreements can help parish and town councils, whatever their size, to contribute more effectively to local governance.