Welcome

Parish and Town Councils represent the first tier of democratic government in Rotherham.   Currently there are 29 Parish and Town Councils in Rotherham of which three are classed as Parish Meetings. Nearly half of Rotherham’s population live in a Parished area.   Modern Parish Councils were developed under the Local Government Act of 1894 where for the first time the Church was excluded from formal participation in local government. There are 8700 Parish Councils across England covering 15 million people and the numbers are increasing particularly in Urban areas.

 

Parish Councils are made up of locally elected councillors. Most meet on a monthly/six week cycle to hear from their constituents and discuss local business.They have a statutory right to raise a local tax (known as a precept) to fund it’s activities and provide services and have approximately 50 powers including:

 

Allotments Burial Grounds Bus shelters Bye laws e.g open spaces Conference facilities Community centres Crime prevention Entertainment and the Arts

Highways e.g provide warning/footpaths Litter Recreation grounds Planning Tourism Traffic calming Transport War memorials

 

Parish and Town Councils have been identified in recent Government papers such as “Why Neighbourhoods Matter” and “Vibrant Local Leadership” as being important partners in delivering strong local community leadership, improving the quality and range of services available to local people and contributing to the sustainability of neighbourhoods.

 

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council is committed to working in partnership with the Parish and Town Councils through the:

• Signing of a Joint Working Charter;
• Meetings of a Joint Working Group;
• Formation of a Borough wide Parish Network. 

 

If you require any further details then please do not hesitate to  Contact Us.