Parish and Town Councils

1
Parish and Town Councils

• Sandra Mitcham.
• Regional Support Officer
• East of England Association of Parish and Town
  Councils
• November 2006

2
Introduction

• Features
• Responsibilities
• Powers
• Other Functions
• White Paper
• Why Work Together?

3
(No Transcript)
4
Features

• Local Government Act 1894.
• Local Government Act 1972 allowed parishes to
  call themselves Towns
• 10000 parishes in England and Wales.
• Elected Body
• Many are non-political
• Precept not capped
• Town/Parish Clerk paid officer
• Accountable
• Procedures governed by statute.

5
Responsibilities

• Representing whole electorate within the parish.
• Delivering Services to meet local needs.
• Striving to improve quality of life in the parish.

6
Powers

• Allotments
• Traffic Calming
• Burial Authority
• Street Lighting
• Recreation Grounds Parks and Opens Spaces
• War Memorials
• Toilets
• Swimming Pools
• Commons
• Car Parks

7
Role

• Give views, on behalf of the 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 and
• Help the other tiers of local government keep in
  touch with their local communities. 

8
Powers (Continued)

• Bus Shelters
• Rights of Way
• Community Centres
• Crime Prevention e.g.. CCTV
• Public Clocks
• Tourism
• Entertainment The Arts
• Village Greens
• Baths and Washhouses (Laundrettes)
• Seats

9
Quality Town/Parish Councils

• 7 criteria.
• Independently assessed
• Partnership Working
• Consultation Parish planning, surgeries, Issue
  consultation
• Communications

10
White Paper

• Power of Well Being for Quality Parish/Town
  Councils.
• Community Calls for Action
• Power to change name
• Easier to set up new parish councils
• Reinforce desire to devolve powers.

11
Why Work Together?

• Avoid Conflict
• Better End Results
• Expertise and knowledge
• Communications
• Funding

12

• Parish Councils are an established and valued
  form of neighbourhood democracy and management.
  They are not only important in rural areas but
  increasingly have a role to play in urban areas.
  We propose to build on the existing parish
  structure, so as to improve its capacity to
  deliver better services and represent the
  communitys interests.
• (White Paper, 200643)

13
Contact Details

• For a copy of the slides email
• eeaptc_at_btconnect.com