How much will it cost to run a parish (or 'local') council?

Question:
How much will it cost to run a parish (or 'local') council?
Answer:

It is difficult to give a clear estimate of the cost of running a parish council. The cost depends on the overheads (e.g. staff costs and premises) and the range of services that a parish council chooses to provide.

The tax base for a parish council in the area shown on the map at Appendix 1 as Boundary Option 1 is estimated at 3,277 Band D equivalent properties. At the national average of a £64.05 precept, the estimated income from the precept for a parish council in this area would be in the region of £209,892.[1]

Parish councils vary enormously in size, activities and circumstances, representing populations ranging from less than 100 in small rural hamlets to almost 100,000 (Sutton Coldfield Town Council). We have provided some benchmarking examples obtained from other parish councils at Appendix 3 for comparison. This includes Queens Park Community Council, the only parish council in London. The examples have been selected because they serve populations of a similar size to the area of Tower Hamlets under consideration. They show the different kinds of services provided by different parish councils, staff costs and income raised through the parish precept.


[1] If a council tax collection rate of 97.25% is assumed then the figure would be 3,177 Band D equivalent properties with an estimated total precept of £203,487