What do we do?

Parish Councils are the first tier of local government and closest to the communities they serve. They are elected bodies with discretionary powers laid down by government to represent their communities and provide services to them. Councils establish policies for action and decide how monies will be raised and spent on behalf of the community. The size of Parish Councils is determined by the borough council. Swallowfield Parish Council consists of 9 residents from within the parish who give their time voluntarily.

Councils are required to conduct their business in an open way with properly organised meetings and agendas. Elections are held every four years for the nine positions. If there are not sufficient candidates the Council may co-opt members.

The range of services provided by parish councils varies depending on the size and location of the parish. You can see the range of services provided by Swallowfield Parish Council under the local facilities tab.

The Parish Council is limited in what it may do and has to strictly keep within its powers. Such powers include the ability to:

• provide buildings for public meetings, assemblies or community usage
• acquire land for recreational purposes, allotments, open space or common pastures
• deal with ponds and ditches
• provide entertainment and support of the arts
• maintain and repair public footpaths (but not footways) and bridleways
• provide lights to roads and public places
• provide roadside seats, shelters and litterbins
• provide traffic signs and other notices
• plant trees and maintain roadside verges
• provide burial grounds, cemeteries, monuments and memorials

The members of the Council work hard on behalf of residents in this Parish and become involved, not only in local issues, but also those wider matters which will eventually affect everybody - such as the provision of low cost housing, security and vandalism, planning threats, energy conservation, provision of services, and more.

The Parish Council exists to provide a link with other authorities, such as the Borough Council and the Unitary Council, and because all Parish Councillors live locally it has the benefit of knowledge of the area and links with other residents. This means that it can be a focal point where local issues can be raised, discussed and acted upon.

Who are we?

The Parish has Councillors elected by the residents every four years.  For more information on your Councillors click here

When we meet

The Parish Council meets on the second Tuesday of the month. If a separate Planning meeting is required it is held on the fourth Tuesday of the month.

For more details on the dates, times and venue of Council meetings, please click here.