What we do
Kennet Valley Parish Council serves the villages of Fyfield, West Overton and Lockeridge.
Parish councils are the first tier of local government and are closest to the community. We play a vital part in representing the interests of our community and are responsible for:
- Managing the provision of various services such as defibrillators, grass cutting, maintenance of bus shelters and books in the bus shelter.
- Advising Wiltshire Council on local planning issues
- Maintaining the play areas and equipment
- Ensuring the village environment is pleasant and free of litter
- Listening to residents and working to improve the village facilities
- The Parish Council is often asked for its views on a wide range of issues that are decided by other bodies, this could include, for example, public transport, regional planning or community safety
- Supporting community projects
Duties and Powers
Various laws outline a council’s legal obligations and duties to ensure it is administered correctly. Recent changes such as the Transparency code ensure that residents can view the work of the Council more easily and Government policy is increasingly encouraging local participation in decision making and responsibility for local issues.
Facts and Figures
– Parish councils were created in 1894 separating the civil parish and church which had previously delivered local services such as care for the poor and maintaining paths.
– There are over 9000 town and parish councils in England
– 25% of the population (over 16m people) live in communities served by parish and town councils.