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