FAQ

What is a parish (or 'local') council?

Answer:: Parish councils are the most local tier of local government in much of the UK. Parish councils may resolve to call themselves ‘town’ or ‘neighbourhood’, ‘community’, or ‘village’ councils. Different areas choose to use different names but legally they are the same and have the same powers and duties. Collectively, they are often referred to as ‘local councils’.

What is the role of Tower Hamlets Council?

Answer:: Tower Hamlets Council is responsible for providing a range of services within its boundaries. These include: education; highways; transport planning; social care; housing; libraries; leisure and recreation; environmental health; waste collection; waste disposal; planning applications; strategic planning; council and business tax collection. It is sometimes referred to as a ‘principal council’. Principal councils have the power to create, alter, merge or abolish parish councils.

Who makes the final decision on whether a parish (or 'local') council is created?

Answer:: Tower Hamlets Council will decide after it has received your response to this consultation. The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act (2007) gives the council the power to create a new parish if it believes that this reflects the identity and interests of people in the area and that it would ensure effective and efficient delivery of services to local people. It must consider the impact that creating a parish would have on community cohesion.

Will a parish (or 'local') council replace Tower Hamlets Council?

Answer:: No, a parish council coexists with a principal council, like Tower Hamlets Council, but it is not a replacement for it. The two would need to work together. The London Borough of Tower Hamlets wards of Spitalfields & Banglatown and Weavers would continue to exist. Local people would still elect ward councillors to represent them on the borough council. Tower Hamlets Council would still continue to provide most services to local people.

What does a parish (or 'local') council do?

Answer:

Parish councils have the option to exercise a variety of powers and duties, including the delivery of a small number of specific local services that add to those provided by the principal council i.e. Tower Hamlets Council. These include recreation grounds, allotments, public toilets, control of litter, community centres, parks and open spaces, crime prevention, festivals and fêtes, traffic calming measures, support for tourism and markets.

There are over 10,000 parish councils across the country. The areas they serve are called civil parishes. Parish councils are different from Parochial Church Councils (or PCCs). Civil parishes have no connection to religious bodies.

Does a parish (or 'local') council have to provide services?

Answer:: A parish council can choose not to deliver any services and instead act purely as a means of influencing local service provision made by the principal council or other partners such as the police.

Is there anything else a parish (or 'local') council can do?

Answer:

A parish council can provide additional services to those provided by the principal council such as the provision of car parking or street cleaning with the consent of the principal council.

Parish councils can express an interest in running a local authority service. Principal councils, like Tower Hamlets Council, must consider an expression of interest submitted by a parish council but there is no guarantee that this would be successful. Parish councils can also bid to purchase assets of community value such as pubs or community halls.

Who runs a parish (or 'local') council?

Answer:: A parish council is a democratically elected and legally independent tier of local government with its own councillors elected every four years by local people. It can be sub-divided into wards, with ward councillors representing their neighbourhoods.

What are the requirements of a parish (or 'local') council?

Answer:

A parish council requires the election of parish councillors. Parish councillors may be volunteers or may be paid an allowance determined by the parish council. These councillors would be in addition to the councillors already elected to Tower Hamlets Council for the wards of Spitalfields & Banglatown and Weavers. A parish council must meet at least four times a year, hold elections every four years, and comply with standing orders and financial regulations and auditing requirements as set out in legislation.

They must have a responsible finance officer and a parish clerk would need to be appointed to oversee the administration of a parish council.

How does a parish (or 'local') council raise money?

Answer:

Parish councils are funded principally through an annual precept – an additional council tax levied on local taxpayers. Parish councils mainly use this to fund the administration of the council and to provide additional local services to enhance those already provided by the principal council. They have no power to raise money from business rates.

Funding can also be raised through income, for example from car parks or markets or rental of property owned by the parish council. Parish councils may also apply for grant funding and are eligible to receive a proportion of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) collected in their area, secured from planning permissions granted after the date the parish council is established. This amount ranges from 15% up to 25% of CIL where there is an adopted neighbourhood plan in place.

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