Role of a Parish Council

Background Document - Prepared by USRAcic*

A parish council is a statutory local authority, the third tier of local government, and is the first point of contact for anyone concerned with a community issue.

The council is made up of councillors elected by the electors of the parish.

The role of a parish councillor is unpaid and a voluntary position.

The council is accountable to electors of the parish with elections being held every four years.

The council has a paid officer who organises meetings and helps to carry out decisions made by the council, this officer is known as the clerk and is usually also the responsible financial officer for the council. The council’s accounts are subject to scrutiny by the external auditor.

An Upper Saxondale parish council would be a relatively small parish council and would only need to employ a part time clerk.

All meetings of the council are open to the general public and the press, except in very exceptional circumstances.

An Upper Saxondale parish council would hold meetings on a regular basis, possibly every six to eight weeks.

It is the duty of a parish council to hold an annual parish meeting to which all residents are invited.

The public may only speak at meetings during the public session which is allocated a time slot on the agenda.

An Upper Saxondale parish council would hold meetings in a public place, such as the church or village hall, which residents could attend, listen to the meeting and put forward comments and questions.

Parish councils have a wide range of powers and duties which essentially relate to local matters such as looking after community buildings, open spaces, play areas, and many more.

An Upper Saxondale parish council would be responsible for the village hall, woodland walk, orchard, play area and tennis courts and pay for the collection of dog waste. In addition, they would co-ordinate all aspects of grounds maintenance within the village.

Parish councils are consulted by the local planning authority on all planning applications. Any views expressed, providing the points are relevant to the determination of a planning application, are taken into consideration before a decision is made. The final decision is made by the planning authority not the parish council.

An Upper Saxondale parish council would have a say on any planning application within the parish.

Parish councils are responsible for their own budgets and have the power to raise money through council tax which is referred to as the parish precept and is used solely for the benefit of the parish.

An Upper Saxondale parish council would set its own budget, money raised from this being spent solely on the community of Upper Saxondale. (There would no longer be a need to raise funds via the USRAcic membership subscription of £5 per month per household).

Parish councils can also apply for funding such as grants and awards.

Any type of relevant grant may be applied for e.g., Sport England, lottery funding, even local supermarkets have small amounts for giving to the community, as well as borough and county councils.

An Upper Saxondale parish council would apply for grants as and when necessary for funding new projects.

*Upper Saxondale Residents Association Community Interest Company