Town and Parish Councils
12.14 Parish and town councils are the most local level of government in England. They are elected bodies which represent their communities and provide services to them. Parish and town councils vary enormously in size, activities and circumstances. They represent populations ranging from less than 100 to up to 70,000, but the majority of them are small with around 80 per cent representing populations of less than 2,500.
12.15 There are currently over 10,000 parishes in England with around 2,000 in the South West region. The business of the parish is conducted either through a parish council or, in some locations, a parish meeting. In some areas, a number of smaller parishes may come together to be represented through a single forum. Historically, parish councils were a characteristic of rural areas. However, a number have now been created in more urban areas.
12.16 The responsibilities of parish and town councils vary depending on how large and how active they are and local authorities can devolve additional functions and budgets to them. Responsibilities falling to a council can include: street lighting, footpath maintenance, community transport initiatives, crime prevention, managing cemeteries, allotments, commons, playgrounds, village halls, war memorials and markets. Parish and town councils must also be notified of all planning applications and consulted on the making of certain byelaws.
12.17 The 2006 Local Government White Paper made proposals for strengthening the capacity and increasing the number of parish and town councils as well as looking at other models of community governance.