Parish councils suit city dwellers too, not just rural Britain
Parish councils have a variety of powers and duties: from managing churchyards, bus shelters or community buildings through to planning matters. Often seen as the preserve of rural areas – where many have been in existence for a hundred years or more – this article documents the parish councils springing up in urban areas.
A couple of years ago, local residents in Queen’s Park (London) voted to create the first urban parish council. Since then the parish has hosted a number of seasonal festivals, fireworks displays, gardening projects and grants schemes to help the local community.
“Local solutions are best for local problems,” says Angela Singhate, clerk of Queen’s Park parish council. “After we started up, we have been contacted by groups in areas such as Barking, Hackney and Holborn – all wanting to find out if the parish council model is a viable option for their communities.” In both Salisbury and Shrewsbury, similar urban parishes have been set up to give back control to local residents. “This growth in parish councils shows people’s growing desire for decisions to be made at a local level,” says Helen Ball, clerk of Shrewsbury town council. Meanwhile Reg Williams, clerk of Salisbury city council, says the desire for urban parishes comes from people feeling their voices aren’t being heard by larger authorities. “And people in general want decisions made at a more grassroots level,” he says.