A parish council is a civil local authority found in England, which is the lowest tier of local government). Parish councils are elected corporate bodies with variable tax-raising powers, and they carry out beneficial public activities in geographical areas known as civil parishes). There are about 10,480 parish and town councils in England, and they may be known by different styles, such as town council, village council, community council, neighborhood council, or city council, depending on the parishs status). However, their powers and duties are the same whatever name they carry. A parish council consists of the chairman and not fewer than five elected parish councillors, and every meeting is open to the public, who are encouraged to attend, except for those items where the Council formally resolves to exclude the public).
Parish councils are the tier of local government closest to their electorate and best placed to serve local communities. They are local authorities created by statute and can only act where there is a specific power to do so. When certain criteria are met, parish councils are eligible to use the General Power of Competence, which gives them the opportunity to do anything that individuals generally may do. Local councils have the power to raise money through the local council tax, which gives them a degree of autonomy and continuity that may not be available to other community organizations. Councils must hold at least four meetings a year, one of which must be the Annual Meeting of the Council.
In the context of the Catholic Church, a Parish Pastoral Council is a council consisting of the Parish Priest together with parishioners elected by the Parish community and those co-opted by the Parish Priest. The role of the council is to promote the Churchs mission to live and communicate the love, values, and teaching of Christ in the world. The council shares in the responsibility for the ongoing life and development of the faith community, working together with parishioners to provide support for their efforts to live as followers of Christ. The council helps pastors see what the needs are and to plan to fulfill them.
