FAQ

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.

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.

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.

It is important that residents understand the potential costs of a parish council and the likely cost to council tax payers within a parish. Parish councils are funded principally through an annual precept, an additional council tax levied on eligible individuals. The parish precept is added onto the council tax bill and collected by the principal council.

For illustrative purposes only, the table below shows the national average precept for all council tax bands. Nationally, the average Band D precept charged by a parish for 2018-19 is £64.05, an increase of £3.02, or 4.9%, from 2017-18.

 The precept is set by the principal council in the first year and then by the parish council itself once elected. This sum is levied on top of the standard council tax that you are eligible to pay. If you are exempt from paying council tax you will not have to pay the precept either.