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The Powers of a Parish Council

Function

Power/Duty

Allotments

Powers to provide allotments.
Duty to consider providing allotment gardens if demand unsatisfied.

Baths & Wash Houses

Power to provide

Burial Grounds,  Cemeteries and Crematoria

Power to acquire, provide and maintain shelters
Power to agree to maintain monuments & memorials
Power to contribute towards expenses

Bus Shelters

Power to provide & maintain shelters

Bye-laws

Powers to provide bye-laws for:

  • Pleasure grounds
  • Cycle parks
  • Baths & wash houses
  • Open spaces & burial grounds

Charities

Duties regarding parochial charities

Christmas Lights

Power to provide to attract visitors

Citizens Advice Bureau

Power to support

Clocks

Power to provide public clocks

Closed Churchyards

Powers to maintain

Conference Facilities

Power to provide and encourage use

Community Centres

Power to provide and equip community buildings
Power to provide buildings for use of clubs having athletic, social or educational objectives

Crime Prevention

Powers to spend money on various crime prevention measures

Drainage

Power to deal with ponds & ditches

Entertainment and the Arts

Provision of entertainment and support of the arts including festivals and celebrations

Gifts

Power to accept

Highways

Power to repair and maintain public footpaths & bridle-ways
Power to provide roadside seats & shelters
Power to complain to district councils regarding protection of rights of way and roadside wastes
Power to provide traffic signs and other notices
Power to plant trees etc. and to maintain

Investments

Power to participate in schemes of collective investment

Land

Power to acquire by agreement, to appropriate, to dispose of land
Power to accept gifts of land

Litter

Provision of receptacles

Lotteries

Powers to promote

Mortuaries and Post-Mortem Rooms

Powers to provide mortuaries and post-mortem rooms

Newsletters

Power to provide information relating to matters affecting local government

Nuisances

Power to deal with offensive ditches

Open Spaces

Power to acquire land & maintain

Parish Property and Documents

Powers to direct as to their custody

Postal and Telecommunications Facilities

Power to pay public telecommunications operators any loss sustained providing post or telegraph office or telecommunication facilities

Public Buildings and Village Halls

Power to provide buildings for offices and for public meetings and assemblies

Public Conveniences

Power to provide

Parks and Pleasure Grounds

Power to acquire land or to provide recreation grounds, public walks, pleasure grounds and open spaces and to manage and control them

Recreation

Power to provide a wide range of recreational facilities
Provision of boating pools

Town and Country Planning

Right to be notified of planning applications

Tourism

Power to contribute to organisations encouraging tourism

Traffic Calming

Powers to contribute financially to traffic-calming schemes

Transport

Powers to spend money on community transport schemes

Village Signs

Power to use decorative signs to inform visitors

War Memorials

Power to maintain, repairs, protect and adapt war memorials

Water Supply

Power to use well, spring or stream and to provide facilities for obtaining water therefrom