Burnhope Parish Council

A parish council is a civil local authority found in England and is the lowest, or first, tier of local government.[1] They are elected corporate bodies, have variable tax raising powers, and are responsible for areas known as civil parishes, serving in total 16 million people. A parish council serving a town may be called a town council, and a parish council serving a city is styled a city council; these bodies have the same powers, duties and status as a parish council.

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Parish and town councils vary enormously in size, activities and circumstances, representing populations ranging from less than 100 (small rural hamlets) to up to 70,000 (Weston-Super-Mare Town Council). Most of them are small: around 80% represent populations of less than 2,500.[2]

Civil parish councils should not be confused with Parochial church councils which administer parishes of the Church of England.

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Civil parish councils, which can be called Community councils should not be confused with Rural community councils which engage in rural development work.