What is a Parish Council?
Information about what a parish council is
Your Parish Council is a civil authority, not to be confused with Parochial Church Councils which administer Church of England parishes.
It is the first and lowest tier of local government. The Council is elected by villagers. It has limited tax raising powers via the Council tax system which is known as ‘The Precept’. This is a very small part of your Council Tax bill, currently about 5% per household.
The Council is responsible for an area known as a Civil Parish. In Milton under Wychwood the Civil Parish extends some way beyond the actual village. From Heath Farm on Lyneham Road in the North, along the border with Shipton to Downs farm in the south. And west to Crow’s Castle farm, off the Stow Road.
We have a diverse field of responsibilities which include the Village Green and Parish open spaces and the trees on them, the Churchyard and Cemetery, the Allotments and the Parish Field, Litter bins and grass cutting. We work with local organisations such as the Village Hall Committee, the MSA, the Milton Volunteers and the Milton Speedwatch Group. We do not decide planning applications, that is done by West Oxfordshire District Council, but we are a Consultee, and we do offer an opinion which has some weight.