What Parish Councils do?

A typical council has councillors with a wide range of skills. The Clerk provides advice on law and procedure and administrative support and also takes action to implement council decisions and policy.

The job of the council is to represent the interests of the whole community. Discovering the needs of different groups in the community, such as the young and elderly, is an important part of a councillor’s work. Parish Plans can provide a valuable opportunity for local people to “have their say". Parish councils can: give views on planning applications and other proposals that affect the parish; undertake projects that benefit local residents; work in partnership with others to benefit the parish; advise relevant authorities of problems or action that is needed; and help the other tiers of local government to engage with, and understand their local communities.

Summary of powers and diuties

Service	Powers and Duties	Relates to Act
Allotments	Powers to provide allotments Duty to consider providing allotment gardens if demand unsatisfied	Smallholdings & Allotments Act 1908, s. 23
Baths and wash houses	Power to provide public baths and wash houses	Public Health Act 1936, ss 221, 222, 223 and 227
Burial grounds, cemeteries and crematoria	Power to acquire, provide and maintain shelters Power to agree to maintain monuments and memorials Power to contribute towards expenses of cemeteries	Open Spaces Act 1906, ss 9 and 10 Parish Councils and Burial Authorities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act1970, s.1 Local Government Act 1972, s.214
Bus shelters	Power to provide and maintain shelters	Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1953, s.4 Parish Councils Act 1957, s.1
Bye laws	Power to provide bye laws for: Pleasure grounds Cycle parks Baths and wash houses Open spaces and burial grounds	Public Health Act 1875, s.164 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, s.57(7) Public Health Act 1936, s.223 Open Spaces Act 1906, s.15
Charities	Duties regarding parochial charities	Charities Act 1993 s. 79
Christmas lights	Power to provide to attract visitors	Local Government Act 1972. s.144
Citizens Advice Bureau	Power to support	Local Government Act 1972, s.142
Clocks	Power to provide public clocks	Parish Councils Act 1957, s.2
Closed churchyards	Powers to maintain	Local Government Act 1972, s.215
Commons and common pastures	Powers in relation to enclosure, regulation and management, and providing common pasture	Inclosure Act 1845 Local Government Act 1894, s.8(4) Smallholdings and Allotments Act 1908, s.34
Conference facilities	Power to provide and encourage the use of facilities	Local Government Act 1972, s.144
Community centres	Power to provide and equip community buildings Power to provide buildings for use of clubs having athletic, social or educational objectives	Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 s.19 Local Government Act 1972, s.133
Crime prevention	Powers to spend money on various crime prevention measures	Local Government and Rating Act 1997, s.31
Drainage	Power to deal with ponds and ditches	Public Health Act 1936, s.260
Entertainment and the arts	Provision of entertainment and support of the arts including festivals and celebrations	Local Government Act 1972, s.145
Gifts	Power to accept	Local Government Act 1972, s.139
Highways	Power to repair and maintain public footpaths and bridle-ways 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 Power to provide roadside seats and shelters Power to complain to district councils regarding protection of rights of way and roadside wastes Power to provide traffic signs and other notices Power to plant trees etc. and to maintain roadside verges	Highways Act 1980, ss.43, 50 Parish Councils Act 1957, s.3 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, s.57 Highways Act 1980, s.30 Parish Councils Act 1957, s.1 Highways Act 1980, s.130 (6) Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, s.72 Highways Act 1980, s.96
Investments	Power to participate in schemes of collective investment	Trustee 1961, s.11
Land	Power to acquire by agreement, to appropriate, to dispose of land Power to accept gifts of land	Local Government Act 1972, ss.124,126, 127 Local Government Act 1972, s.139
Litter	Provision of receptacles	Litter Act 1983,ss.5, 6
Lotteries	Powers to promote	Lotteries and Amusement Act 1976, s.7
Mortuaries and post mortem rooms	Powers to provide mortuaries and post mortem rooms	Public Health Act 1936, s.198
Newsletters	Power to provide information relating to matters affecting local government	Local Government Act 1972, s.142
Nuisances	Power to deal with offensive ditches	Public Health Act 1936, s.260 Public Health Act 1875, s.164
Open spaces	Power to acquire land and maintain	Open Spaces Act 1906, ss.9 and 10
Parish property and documents	Powers to direct as to their custody	Local Government Act 1972, s.226
Public buildings and village hall	Power to provide buildings for offices and for public meetings and assemblies	Local Government Act 1972, s.133
Public conveniences	Power to provide	Public Health Act 1936, s.87
Parks, pleasure grounds	Power to acquire land or to provide recreation grounds, public walks, pleasure grounds and open spaces and to manage and control them	Public Health Act 1875, s.164 (Local Government Act 1972, Sched.14 para.27)
Recreation	Power to provide a wide range of recreational facilities	Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions)
Town and Country Planning	Right to be notified of planning applications	Town and Country Planning Act 1990, Sched.1, para.8
Tourism	Power to contribute to organisations encouraging tourism	Local Government Act 1972, s.144
Traffic Calming	Powers to contribute financially to traffic calming schemes	Local Government and Rating Act 1997, s.30
Transport	Powers to spend money on community transport schemes	Local Government and Rating Act 1997, s.26-29
Village signs	Power to use decorative signs to inform visitors	Local Government Act 1972, s.144
War memorials	Power to maintain, repairs, protect and adapt war memorials	War Memorials (Local Authorities’ Powers) Act 1923, s.1; as extended by Local Government Act 1948, s.133
Water supply	Power to use well, spring or stream and to provide facilities for obtaining water therefrom	Public Health Act 1936, s.125

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