Powers & duties of parish councils

Allotments

• Duty to provide allotments;
• Power to improve and adapt land for allotments, and to let grazing rights.

Burial grounds, cemeteries and crematoria

• Power to acquire and maintain;
• Power to provide;
• Power to agree to maintain monuments and memorials;
• Power to contribute towards expenses of cemeteries.

Bus Shelters

Power to provide and maintain shelters.

Bye-laws

• Power to make bye-laws in regard to pleasure grounds;
• Cycle parks;
• Baths and washhouses;
• Open spaces and burial grounds;
• Mortuaries and post-mortem rooms.

Closed churchyards

Powers to maintain.

Common pastures

Powers to provide common pasture land.

Community centres

Power to provide and equip buildings for use of athletic, social or recreational clubs.

Crime prevention

Powers to install and maintain equipment, and establish and maintain a scheme for detection or prevention of crime.

Drainage

Power to deal with ponds and ditches.

Entertainment and the arts

Provision of entertainment and support of the arts.

Highways

• Power to maintain footpaths and bridle-ways;
• Power to light roads and public places;
• Provision of litter bins;
• Powers to provide parking places for bicycles, motor-cycles and other vehicles;
• Power to enter into agreement as to dedication and widening of highways;
• Powers to provide roadside seats and shelters;
• Consent of parish council required for ending maintenance of highway at public expense, or for stopping up or diversion of highway;
• Power to complain to highway authority as to unlawful stopping up or obstruction of highway, or unlawful encroachment on roadside wastes;
• Power to provide traffic signs and other objects or devices warning of danger;
• Power to plant trees and lay out grass verges etc., and to maintain them.

Land

• Power to acquire land by agreement;
• Power to appropriate land;
• Power tto dispose of land.

Litter

Provision of bins.

Lotteries

Powers to promote lotteries.

Open spaces

Power to acquire land and maintain open spaces.

Public buildings and village hall

Power to provide buildings for public meetings and assemblies.

Public conveniences

Power to provide public conveniences.

Town and country planning

Right to be notified of planning applications.

Tourism

Power to encourage visitors and provide conference and other facilities.

Traffic calming

Power to contribute financially to traffic calming schemes.

Transport

• Powers in relation to car-sharing schemes, taxi fare concessions and information about transport;
• Powers to make grants for bus services.

War memorials

Power to maintain, repair, protect and alter war memorials.

Water supply

Power to utilise wells, springs or streams and to provide facilities for getting water from them.