Town and parish councils
A town or parish council is the first tier of local government and represents the interests and views of local people. In more urban areas, a parish council may choose to be called a town council.
South Gloucestershire has 50 town and parish councils including 4 new councils created in 2023.
Councils are made up of an average of 9 councillors and a clerk depending on the size of the population in the area served. Elections are held once every 4 years.
Find the updated district map of town and parish councils.
What town and parish councils do
Councils deal with local facilities and services including:
- allotments
- bins
- bus shelters
- car parks
- community transport
- footpaths
- open spaces
- planning
- public toilets
- sports facilities
- street cleaning and lighting
- traffic calming
You can find details for each council in our directory of town and parish councils.
How town and parish councils are funded
Town and parish councils are not funded by central or local government. Money is collected from the council tax paid by households in each parish and is known as the parish precept.
The level of the precept is set by the councils and reflects the money they will need to fund plans for the coming year.
How we work together
We work in partnership with councils on matters that affect the people in the parish and must consider their views when making decisions.
The parish charter sets out how we agree to work together.
Consultations are used to improve planning and make better use of resources. These are shared with parish councils for discussion and decision making.
We allow at least 6 weeks for consultation (except on planning applications), unless there are very special circumstances.