Parish Council

What is a Parish Council?

A Parish Council is a local authority constituted by parliament and wholly governed by legislation. A local council can only do what the law permits it to do. 

Parish Councils are generally the least bureaucratic and cheapest form of government.  It raises the majority of its income from the ‘precept’ a tax levied on its electors.  In 2024 - 2025 in Thaxted the Precept is £145,520. This is the sum that the Council calculated was required to meet the annual cost of running the services it provides at its budget meeting in January 2024.  Thaxted has approximately 1,497 homes and each household pays a proportion towards the cost. 

Thaxted Parish Council elects 11 members who serve a term of 4 years. Each councillor must register any interests they may have and agree to abide by the code of conduct.

Parish councillor registerable interests may be seen via the following link: https://uttlesford.cmis.uk.com/uttlesford/ParishCouncilInterests.aspx

It employs three part-time staff; a Clerk & RFO, an Assistant Clerk, who share the administration and duties of the wider Parish Council, and a Guildhall Custodian who looks after the Guildhall. 

The Parish Council has a broad range of responsibilities some of which can be summarized below:

• Provision of Playgrounds and Play Equipment
• Provision of and maintenance of some of our Street Lighting
• Duty to provide allotment for Local Residents
• Statutory consultations on planning, working to influence Planning Authority decisions, based on Councillors local knowledge.
• Ensuring that the adopted Thaxted Neighbourhood Plan reflects the shared vision for its neighbourhood.
• Working with the Community Policing Team and funding a Community Special Constable
• Managing several public open spaces
• Working with the County Council on items such as traffic matters or Flooding
• Engaging with other local Parish Councils on matters that affect us all.

Whilst there are limited powers to make decisions, Parish Councils do have the ability to negotiate with, and the power to influence, those other organisations that do make the final decisions.