Local Councils
Parish, Community and Town Councils are the first tier of Local Government, collectively referred to as local councils, with discretionary legal powers to provide facilities and services for their communities and represent them to other authorities and bodies. Today there is a trend for more and more decisions to be taken at a local level.
House of Commons Library – Role of Parish & Town Councils
Town and parish councils were first established by the Local Government Act 1894. The Local Government Act 1972 restructured local government within England and Wales, providing the legal foundation for the existence of today’s parish and town councils. Parish councils can decide to call themselves ‘town’, or ‘community’, ‘neighbourhood’, or ‘village’ councils. Parish and town councils are represented by the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), and by county-based associations.
Parish councils are not a mandatory tier of local government and do not exist in all parts of England. They have traditionally been less common in urban areas, though a parish council can cover either a whole town or city or a neighbourhood within it.
Hertfordshire is served by 11 Town Councils, 101 Parish Councils, 2 Community Councils and 10 Parish Meetings.
This knowledge base is only available to member councils and provides a valuable resource of expertise available within Hertfordshire councils. Information is continually added, please let us know what your council does if it is not already there. All councils listed have agreed to their details being made available for this purpose.
What makes up a parish council?
A parish council in England consists of such number of councillors as may be fixed by the district/borough council, not being less than five. Where a parish has a relatively large population, or where the population is scattered over a wide area, or where one parish contains two or more sections with separate interests, it may be convenient to divide the parish into wards for the purpose of electing councillors.
Councillors
A councillor is elected not only to represent his or her constituents but also to take decisions affecting the area of the council as a whole.
He or she has many different roles including corporate decision maker, corporate employer, policy formulator, representative on external bodies, citizens’ advocate and corporate protector of their parish and its environment.
Clerks
The Clerk is the head of the council’s administration and is the ‘Proper Officer’. The Clerk ensures that the business of the council runs smoothly and efficiently and is conducted in accordance with the law. He or she is often also the Responsible Financial Officer and ensures that the council’s financial transactions are properly authorised and recorded.
Further Information
Council Powers A local council is a statutory local authority in its own right, having a fairly wide variety of powers conferred by many statues. A local council, being at grass roots level, has an important role in the local government field, representing the community which it is elected to […]
Council RolesRepresenting the People The local council acts within the framework of legislation conferred on it by Parliament and forms the third tier of local government. Its functions are mainly discretionary, that is they amount to powers as opposed to duties. The role of the local council may briefly be described […]
CouncillorsWhy become a Parish or Town Councillor? As a councillor you can become a voice for your community and affect real change. Councillors are community leaders and represent the aspirations of the public that they serve. Parish, town, community and neighbourhood councillors are the most local part of our democratic […]