Eaton Parish Council

A parish council is a local authority that makes decisions on behalf of the people in the parish.  It is the level of government closest to the community, with the district authority (Melton BC) above it in the hierarchy. Parish councils are invariably the first place people will go with concerns or ideas.  For this reason they are a vital part of any community.

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Parish councils make all kinds of decisions on issues that affect the local community.  Probably the most common topics that parish councils get involved with are planning matters, crime prevention, managing open spaces and campaigning for and delivering better services and facilities.

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It’s true to say that on their own, parish councils have limited powers to make decisions.  But they do have the ability to negotiate with, and the power to influence, those other organisations that do make the final decisions (such as the borough council, health authorities, police etc).

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In this respect parish councils are extremely powerful.  The organisations that make the final decisions know that a parish council gives the best reflection of how a community feels about something, and its views will be taken seriously. They have a wide range of powers which essentially relate to local matters, such as looking after community buildings, open space, allotments, play areas, street lighting, bus shelters, car parks and much more.  The council also has the power to raise money through taxation - the precept.  The precept is the parish council’s share of the council tax.  The precept demand goes to the billing authority, the district council, which collects the tax for the parish council.

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Eaton Parish Council currently has 6 councillors. The duties and functions of a parish council are many and varied.
The Council meets monthly and considers planning applications and any other matters referred to it by local residents. All meetings are open to the public and there is a forum before the start of the meeting at which members of the public can raise concerns and ask questions.  There is also an annual meeting which all parishioners are invited to attend.  All meetings are advertised on the council notice boards.  Residents can bring to the attention of the parish council anything that concerns them, either directly or through the clerk.  If matters raised are not the responsibility of the council, the clerk can bring them to the attention of the proper authority.

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