Whittington Parish Council

Powers and Duties of Parish Councils as at December 1999

Function	Powers & Duties	Statute
Allotments	Powers to provide allotments. Duty to provide allotment gardens if demand unsatisfied	Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908 ss23,26 & 42
Baths & Washhouses	Power to provide public baths and washhouses	Public Health Act 1936 ss221,222,223 & 227
Burial Grounds, cemeteries and crematoria	Power to acquire and maintain Power to provide Power to agree to maintain monuments and memorials Power to contribute towards expenses of cemeteries	Open Spaces Act 1906 Local Govt Act 1972 s 214. Parish Councils & Burial Authorities (Misc Provisions) Act 1970 Local Govt Act 1972
Bus shelters	Power to provide and maintain shelters	Local Govt (Misc Provisions) Act 1953
Bye Laws	Power to make bye-laws in regard to pleasure grounds In respect of cycle parks of Baths & Washhouses of Open spaces & burial grounds of mortuaries/post-mortem rooms	Public Health Act 1875 Rd Traffic Act 1936 Open Spaces Act 1906 Public Health Act 1936
Charities	Duty to receive accounts of parochial charities	Charities Act 1960
Clocks	Power to provide public clocks	Parish Councils Act 1957
Closed Churchyards	Powers as to maintenance	Local Govt Act 1972
Commons & common pastures	Powers in relation to inclosure, as to regulation & management and as to providing common pasture	Inclosure Act 1845 Local Govt Act 1894 Smallholdings & Allotments Act 1908
Conference facilities	Power to provide and encourage the use of facilities	Local Govt Act 1972 s144
Community Centres	Power to provide and equip buildings for use of clubs having athletic, social or educational objectives.	Local Govt (Misc Provisions) Act 1976
Crime Prevention	Powers to spend money on various crime prevention measures	Local Govt and Rating Act 1997s31
Drainage	Powers to deal with ponds and ditches	Public Health Act 1936
Education	Right to appoint school governors	Education (No.2) Act 1986
Entertainment and the Arts	Provision of entertainment and support of the Arts	Local Govt Act 1972
Gifts	Power to accept	Local Govt Act 1972
Highways	Power to repair and maintain public footpaths and bridleways Power to light roads and public places Provision of litter bins Power to provide parking places for vehicles, bicycles & motorcycles Power to enter into agreement as to dedication and widening Power to provide roadside seats and shelters, and omnibus shelters Consent of Parish Council required for ending maintenance of highway at public expense, or for stopping up or diversion of highway Power to complain to District Council as to protection of rights of way and roadside wastes Power to provide traffic signs and other notices Power to plant trees etc., and to maintain roadside verges	Highways Act 1980 ss43 & 50 Parish Councils Act 1957 Highways Act 1980 Litter Act 1983 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 ss57 & 63 Highways Act 1980 ss30 & 72 Parish Councils Act 1957 Highways Act 1980 ss 47 & 116 Highways Act 1980 s130 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 Highways Act 1980
Investments	Power to participate in schemes of collective investment	Trustee Investments Act 1961 s11
Land	Power to acquire by agreement, to appropriate, to dispose of Power to accept gifts of land	Local Govt Act 1972 ss124,126 & 127
Litter	Provision of receptacles Prosecution of offenders	Litter Act 1983 ss 5 & 6 Environmental Protection Act 1990
Lotteries	Power to promote	Lotteries & Amusements Act 1976 s7
Mortuaries and Post-mortem rooms	Power to provide mortuaries and post-mortem rooms	Public Health Act 1936 s198
Nuisances	Power to deal with offensive ditches	Public Health Act 1936
Open Spaces	Power to acquire land and maintain	Public Health Act 1875 Open Spaces Act 1906
Parish Property and documents	Powers to direct as to their custody	Local Govt Act 1972
Postal and Telecommunication	Power to pay the Post Office, British Telecom or any other public telecom's operator any loss sustained in providing post or telegraph office or telecommunications facilities	Post Office Act 1953 Telecommunications Act 1984 s97
Public buildings and village halls	Power to provide buildings for offices and for public meetings and assemblies	Local Govt Act 1972
Public conveniences	Power to provide	Public Health Act 1936
Recreation	Power to acquire land for or to provide recreation grounds, public walks, pleasure grounds and open spaces and to manage and control them Power to provide gymnasiums, playing fields, holiday camps Provision of boating pools	Public Health Act 1875 Local Govt Act 1972 Public Health Acts Amdt Act 1890 s44 Open Spaces Act 1906 Local Govt (Misc Provisions) Act 1976 Public Health Act 1961
Town & Country Planning	Right to be notified of planning applications	Town & Country Planning Act 1990
Tourism	Power to contribute to organisations encouraging tourism	Local Govt Act 1972
Traffic Calming	Powers to contribute financially to traffic calming schemes	Local Govt and Rating Act 1997 s26
Transport	Powers to spend money on community transport schemes	Local Govt and Rating Act 1997 s26/29
War Memorials	Power to maintain, repair, protect and adapt war memorials	War Memorials (Local Authorities Powers) Act 1923 as extended by Local Govt Act 1948
Water Supply	Power to utilise well, spring or stream and to provide facilities for obtaining water therefrom	Public Health Act 1936 s125
"Section 137" of its not charitable service	Expenditure which in the Council's opinion is in the interests area or any part of it or all or some of the inhabitants, and is otherwise provided for under statue. Contributions to bodies or to the funds of any body which provides a public in the United Kingdom otherwise than for gain.
	Section 137 expenditure is limited to £5.00 per elector registered in the Parish on the 1st April for the ensuing financial year
	NOTE: The above list is based on the Department of the Environment consultation paper "The role of Parish and Town Councils in England" issued August 1992
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