Parish and town councils

A local council is a universal term for community, neighbourhood, parish and town councils. They are the first tier of local government and are statutory bodies. They serve electorates, are independently elected, and raise their precept (a form of council tax). There are 10,000 parish and town councils in England and 100,000 councillors serving in these councils, with over £2 billion invested into these communities annually.

Parish and town council activities fall into three categories: delivering services to meet local needs, giving the community a voice and representation, and improving the quality of life and community wellbeing.

Parish and town councils run numerous services, depending on their council size. These include delivering services (such as allotments, car parks, celebrations and festivals, community buses, community and leisure centres, litter bins, parks and open spaces, public toilets and street lights), improving the quality of life (such as community hubs, neighbourhood plans, funding community projects and services, suitable housing, setting up dementia-friendly groups, solar panels, tackling loneliness and youth projects), and giving the community a voice (such as on planning matters with principal authorities and developers, local police and health services, and the government).