Community governance reviews

A Community Governance Review is a review of the whole or part of the district area to consider one or more of the following:

• Creating, merging, altering or abolishing parishes
• The naming of parishes and the style of new parishes
• The electoral arrangements for parishes (the ordinary year of election; council size; the number of councillors to be elected to the council, and parish warding)
• Grouping parishes under a common parish council or de-grouping parishes.

Who does the review?

We will approve the terms of reference for a review, and deal with all matters in connection with it, by delegating to an all party working group.

This will make final recommendations to full Council following the review for their consideration and making of any necessary Reorganisation Order.

What is a parish council?

A parish council is the local authority closest to the electorate and the community.

The council:

• has elected members
• raises its money through the Council Tax system
• takes decisions on behalf of the people in the parish
• provides services for local residents
• often owns land and property in the parish
• can employ staff (at least a Parish Clerk) and contractors to do work
• works with the District Council (North West Leicestershire) and the County Council who provide other services in the community.

A parish council is nothing to do with the Church or the Diocese, nor is it a voluntary or community sector body.

All meetings are open to the public who can just turn up and listen to the discussions. There are reasonable exceptions to this e.g. when personnel issues are being covered.

What can a parish council do?

A parish council has a wide range of things that it can do - powers that have been given to it by various Acts of Parliament over the years.

A parish council will decide which powers it takes up and how much it will cost to do them. This cost is mainly funded through an additional charge added to council tax bills called a precept. Parish councils can also work in partnership with other organisations and can seek grants and sponsorships to reduce the level of precept.

Examples of powers and duties that a parish council may decide to do are:

• Provide allotments
• Power to provide a village hall
• Provide bus shelters
• Power to look after war memorials
• Provide Christmas lights
• Power to make bylaws for some purposes
• Provide recreational facilities
• Power to provide public clocks
• Power to repair footpaths and highways
• Power to provide and maintain cemeteries and burial grounds
• Power to spend on crime prevention measures
• Right to be notified of planning applications