What is a Parish Council?


Parish Councils are an important tier of local government, representing the electorate at the most local level. Councillors are elected for a four year term, or if a vacancy is not filled, co-opted. Parish Councils have statutory powers to raise money through taxation (currently a percentage of the Council tax), and to spend this money according to its budget.

Parish Councils have responsibility for specific areas of public interest, and work closely with District Councils on other matters. These include:

· Highways and traffic
· Footpaths
· Planning (although only the District Council has the power to approve applications, Parish Councils must be consulted)
· Recreation facilities
· Community Safety

By law, Parish Councils must hold an Annual Meeting of the Council, at which a chairman is elected, and an Annual Parish Meeting, an open meeting where Councillors present an annual report of activities and the electorate has the opportunity to raise any issues which they feel are important.


All Parish Council meetings are open to the public. Dates and times of Hadstock Parish Council meetings can be found in the Events section.


For more information on Uttlesford District Council, click here.