What is a Parish Council and what can it do?
Parish Councils are the lowest tier of government and the local contact point for communities. Local Councils are statutory bodies set up and controlled by law. This means there are certain rules and procedures a Council MUST follow.
Councils have legal powers which determine what they can ( have the power to do) and cannot do. The regulations which determine the duties Councils must do and what powers it is able to do in order to carry out it's functions are set out by Acts of Parliament.
Your Councillors are all volunteers and are giving up their time to be the voice of the residents and help improve the villages as much as possible. When a Councillor is elected or co-opted to join the Council, they must sign a register of interest. You can view each Councillors register of interest on the Torridge District Council website.
The Council is a corporate body and therefore the decisions it makes are made collectively. The key responsibility of a Parish Councillor is to serve the community. Councillors must abide by a code of conduct.
Things we must do include
- comply with the Freedom of Information, Data Protection and Equality Acts and employment law
- consider the impact of decisions on reducing crime and disorder
- have regard to the protection of biodiversity
- consider the provision of allotments
Things we can do include:
- creation of a community-led parish plan
- creation and maintenance of footpaths and bridleways
- aquisition and maintenance of rights of way
- protection of roadside verges
- support and encouragement of arts and crafts
- giving grants to local organisations
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