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> Home > Parish Council
Parish CouncilPowers and responsibilities of Parish CouncilsA Parish Council is the first tier of local government and was created by statute in 1894. Much has changed since this date, despite the impression given by 'The Vicar of Dibley' TV series! Parish Councils are closely regulated and the amount of administrational bureaucracy and red tape has increased exponentially in the past few years, with an accompanying rise in costs of audit and insurance. The Local Government Act 1972 is most often referred to when describing the modern powers and responsibilities of Parish Councils but it is augmented by other Acts, such as The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 which, on the face of it, would not appear to relate to Parish Councils but which gave them a long needed ability to pay for measures to combat crime and the fear of crime in villages. Parish Councils may only spend public money on projects or actions for which they have a statutory power. Breaking this rule is likely to result in a Parish Council's accounts being refused by the auditor and, possibly, individual councillors being required to repay any money illegally expended. There is still, as there was in 1894, only one power which a Parish Council must consider using and that is to provide allotments for the labouring poor, if asked for them. All other powers are voluntary and a Parish Council is not obliged to exercise them. Indeed the majority would find it difficult to raise enough money to exercise them all on a permanent basis! Parish Councils are empowered to raise money for their activities through a tax, called the precept, on the village residents which is collected on their behalf by the District Council, as an addition to the District and County Council Tax. This is then paid to Parish Council's in two equal instalments (Bramley's is £27,300 for the year 2010/11). Two neighbouring Parish Councils might require the same amount of money to function but the fewer houses there are in a village, the more each household is obliged to pay towards raising the precept. Thus, the actual tax paid by similar houses in neighbouring villages could differ widely. Though not actually ‘capped’ in their expenditure, unlike principal councils, the activities of many smaller Parish Councils are effectively limited by this difficulty; to what, in vulgar parlance, ‘the market can stand’. To combat this, smaller councils are encouraged to combine for some large projects and share the expense across a wider base. Borrowing is allowed, up to a prescribed limit and with permission, but this is of limited help to a small Parish because, of course, the loan (plus interest) has to be repaid from slim resources. Grants may be obtained for specific purposes from various sources, not least the Borough Council. Very few, if any of these, can be used for maintenance or general administration purposes. Limited fund raising can be done but this is so hedged about by restrictions that, in the main, it is hardly worthwhile for a very small council. Responsibilities undertaken by Bramley Parish Council
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