What is a Parish Council?

The civil parish or township has long been the basic unit of the civil government of the country.  The ecclesiastical parish was the basic unit of government of the established church.  The civil parish (of which there could be one or more within each ecclesiastical parish) was the ideal unit for the lowest level of civil government.  From the 16th century each parish had its own (unpaid) overseer of the poor, surveyor of highways and parish constable, elected by the ratepayers from among their own ranks.  The main course of these officers was usually to spend as little as possible so that the parish rates were kept at the lowest possible level.

The work of these parish officers was overseen by a meeting of ratepayers known as the vestry (because they usually met in the church vestry).  In some parishes the vestry meeting remained open to all, but in others it became 'closed' or 'select' with membership restricted to the most prosperous inhabitants.