A parish meeting is a meeting all the electors in a civil parish in England are entitled to attend.
32-494: The Borough of Tewkesbury is a local government district with borough status in Gloucestershire , England. The borough is named after its largest town, Tewkesbury , which is where the council is based. The district also includes the town of Winchcombe and numerous villages including Bishops Cleeve , Ashchurch , Churchdown , Innsworth and Brockworth as well as other hamlets and surrounding rural areas. Parts of
64-461: A mayor and refer to itself as a borough council. Some shire counties now have no sub divisions so are a single Non-metropolitan district such as Cornwall. Typically a district will consist of a market town and its more rural hinterland. However districts are diverse with some being mostly urban such as Dartford, and others more polycentric such as Thurrock. Non-metropolitan districts are subdivisions of English non-metropolitan counties which have
96-566: A chairman and clerk to act on the meeting's behalf. Every parish in England has a parish meeting. Parish meetings are a form of direct democracy , which is uncommon in the United Kingdom , which primarily uses representative democracy . In England, the annual parish meeting of a parish with a parish council must take place between 1 March and 1 June, both dates inclusive, and must take place no earlier than 6pm. In areas where there
128-498: A definitive map modification order. In relation to the last named, the meeting is also entitled to be consulted by the county council before the order is made (part III Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and schedule 15); Village greens: a parish meeting may prosecute a person who damages or encroaches upon a village green in the parish and thus commits an offence under section 12 of the Inclosure Act 1857 or section 29 of
160-524: A district or London borough council or the City of London (Para11(1) of schedule 26 to the Local Government Act 1972 ); Charities: a parish meeting has the same powers as a parish council to appoint trustees to parochial charities. The audited accounts of all parochial charities (except those for the relief of poverty) must be sent to the chairman of the parish meeting who must lay them before
192-637: A local authority and its powers are not as wide as those of a parish council. Section 39(2) of the Local Government Finance Act 1972 provides that a parish meeting is a precepting authority . This means that where there is no parish council the parish meeting must meet its own expenses, usually by precepting on council tax collected by the district council. A parish meeting may only precept for expenditure relating to specific functions, powers and rights which have been conferred on it by legislation. A parish meeting may request that
224-550: A parish meeting may be an "interested party" and may be consulted in respect of applications for premises licenses (s.13(3) of the Licensing Act 2003 ); Lighting: a parish meeting may light roads and other public places (section 3 of the Parish Councils Act 1957 ); Rights of way: a parish meeting is entitled to be notified of a public path creation order; an extinguishment order, a diversion order or
256-573: A parish meeting may be registered as the owner of common land if it has inherited ownership from the appropriate pre-1894 authority (often the Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor) pursuant to section 67 of the Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73); Land: a parish meeting has no general power of acquisition but may acquire land to exercise its allotments or burial powers. It may appropriate land from one purpose to another with
288-532: A parish meeting may provide and maintain a bus shelter (s. 4 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1953 and s.179 of the Local Government Act 1972 ); Burials: a parish meeting is a burial authority. It may therefore provide burial grounds and may contribute towards the cost of burial facilities provided by others (Para 1(c) of schedule 26 to the Local Government Act 1972 ); Cemeteries and crematoria : power to adopt byelaws made by
320-461: A two-tier structure of local government. Two-tier non-metropolitan counties have a county council and several districts, each with a borough or district council. In these cases local government functions are divided between county and district councils, to the level where they can be practised most efficiently: Many districts have borough status , which means the local council is called a borough council instead of district council and gives them
352-407: A unitary authority or those that transferred from one county to another, including those that changed name. Nor does it include unitary authorities that have been abolished ( Bournemouth and Poole ). Parish meeting In some cases, where a parish or group of parishes has fewer than 200 electors, the parish meeting can take on the role of a parish council , with statutory powers, and electing
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#1732798193517384-475: Is a parish council, the chairman of the parish council shall chair the parish meeting, and the parish meeting has none of the powers listed in the next section of this article. It acts only as an annual democratic point of communication. In areas with no parish council, the parish meeting has the following powers: Allotments: a parish meeting may hold and administer allotments for cultivation (s.33 (3) Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908 ); Bus shelters:
416-537: Is also covered by civil parishes , which form a third tier of local government. The council has been under no overall control since the 2023 election , with leadership roles shared between the Liberal Democrats, Greens and independent councillors. The first election to the modern council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of
448-522: The Commons Act 1876 ( 39 & 40 Vict. c. 56). See also LTN 56 - The Provision of Play and Sports Equipment on Village Greens); War memorials: a parish meeting may maintain, repair or protect any war memorial in the parish (ss.1 and 4 of the War Memorials (Local Authorities' Powers) Act 1923 ). Staff: Parish meetings do not have the power to appoint staff. Generally speaking it is not
480-604: The District Councils' Network , special interest group which sits within the Local Government Association . The network's purpose is to "act as an informed and representative advocate for districts to government and other national bodies, based on their unique position to deliver for local people." This is a list of two-tier non-metropolitan counties and their districts. All unitary authorities are also non-metropolitan districts, which, with
512-554: The Ridge Hill or Sutton Coldfield TV transmitters. However, BBC West and ITV West Country are also received through cable and satellite television such as Freesat and Sky . Radio stations for the area are: The area is served by these local newspapers: Since the last full review of boundaries in 2019 the council has comprised 38 councillors representing 20 wards , with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. As of May 2023,
544-528: The Tewkesbury and Twyning Independents as a group called "The Independents". The next election is due in 2027. The council is based at the Council Offices on Gloucester Road in Tewkesbury. The building was purpose-built for the council, being completed in 1976. The whole district is covered by civil parishes. The parish councils for Tewkesbury and Winchcombe take the style "town council". Some of
576-495: The approval of the Secretary of State. A parish meeting may dispose of land on the same conditions applicable to parish councils (s.126 of the 1972 act). Section 13(3) of the Local Government Act 1972 provides that the parish trustees shall be the chairman of the parish meeting and the proper officer of the district council. The parish trustees may hold on behalf of the parish meeting the following categories of land: Licensing:
608-454: The areas for Wales and England had been enacted separately and there were no Welsh metropolitan areas, the term 'non-metropolitan district' does not apply to Wales. A similar system existed in Scotland , which in 1975 was divided into regions and districts, this was also abolished in 1996 and replaced with a fully unitary system . In England most of the district councils are represented by
640-438: The borough's name should be changed to "North Gloucestershire". The council voted to make the change at a meeting on 3 September 2024. The change means the council becomes "North Gloucestershire Borough Council"; the new branding is due to be brought into use from December 2024. Tewkesbury Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Gloucestershire County Council . The whole district
672-400: The council since 1974 has been as follows: The role of mayor is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is provided instead by the leader of the council . The leaders since 2007 have been: Following the 2023 election , the composition of the council was: Of the independent councillors, two sit together as the "Isbourne and Winchcombe Independents", and the other five sit with local party
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#1732798193517704-504: The councillors were: 52°0′0″N 2°10′0″W / 52.00000°N 2.16667°W / 52.00000; -2.16667 Non-metropolitan district Non-metropolitan districts , or colloquially " shire districts ", are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties (colloquially shire counties ) in a two-tier arrangement. Non-metropolitan districts with borough status are known as boroughs , able to appoint
736-495: The district lie within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . In September 2024 the council voted to formally change the borough's name to North Gloucestershire , with the new name due to be brought into use from December 2024. The neighbouring districts are Cotswold , Cheltenham , Stroud , Gloucester , Forest of Dean , Malvern Hills and Wychavon . Prior to 1974 the borough of Tewkesbury only covered
768-487: The exception of those of Berkshire , are coterminous with non-metropolitan counties. For a full list of districts of all types including unitary authorities, metropolitan districts and London boroughs , see Districts of England . This is a list of former two-tier districts in England which have been abolished, by local government reorganisations such as the 2009 structural changes to local government in England . It does not include districts that still exist after becoming
800-500: The next meeting (s.79 (2) of the Charities Act 1993 ); Churchyards: liability to maintain a closed Church of England churchyard may be transferred to a parish meeting by the same process by which such liability is transferred to parish council (s.215 (2) of the Local Government Act 1972 ). i.e. by serving written request on the chairman of the meeting. See also LTN 65 - Closed Churchyards and Disused Burial Grounds. Commons:
832-565: The right to appoint a mayor . Borough status is granted by royal charter and, in many cases, continues a style enjoyed by a predecessor authority, which can date back centuries. Some districts such as Oxford or Exeter have city status , granted by letters patent , but this does not give the local council any extra powers other than the right to call itself a city council . By 1899, England had been divided at district level into rural districts , urban districts , municipal boroughs , county boroughs and metropolitan boroughs . This system
864-551: The smaller parishes have a parish meeting rather than a parish council. Gloucestershire Airport is in the borough, near to Gloucester and Cheltenham. The borough is also served by Ashchurch for Tewkesbury railway station on the mainline. Heritage railway the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway also has a number of stations in the borough. The area is served by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central with television signals received from either
896-405: The title of mayor. A successor parish was created at the same time covering the area of the former municipal borough of Tewkesbury, with the parish council taking the name Tewkesbury Town Council . In 1991, the parishes of Leckhampton , Prestbury , Swindon and Up Hatherley were transferred to the neighbouring borough of Cheltenham . In 2024, the council consulted its residents on whether
928-489: The town itself. The town was an ancient borough , having been granted a charter of incorporation by Elizabeth I in 1575. The town was reformed in 1836 to become a municipal borough under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 , governed by a body formally called the "mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Tewkesbury", but generally known as the corporation or town council. The modern district
960-526: The two-tier structure, but reforms in the 1990s and 2009 reduced their number to 192. A further 55 non-metropolitan districts are now unitary authorities, which combine the functions of county and borough/district councils. In Wales , an almost identical two-tier system of local government existed between 1974 and 1996 (see Districts of Wales ). In 1996, this was abolished and replaced with an entirely unitary system of local government, with one level of local government responsible for all local services. Since
992-620: Was abolished by the London Government Act 1963 and the Local Government Act 1972 . Non-metropolitan districts were created by this act in 1974 when England outside Greater London was divided into metropolitan counties and non-metropolitan counties. Metropolitan counties were sub-divided into metropolitan districts and the non-metropolitan counties were sub-divided into non-metropolitan districts. The metropolitan districts had more powers than their non-metropolitan counterparts. Initially, there were 296 non-metropolitan districts in
Borough of Tewkesbury - Misplaced Pages Continue
1024-408: Was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 , covering the whole area of two former districts and part of a third, which were all abolished at the same time: The new district was named Tewkesbury after its main town. The new district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the council to take the name Tewkesbury Borough Council and letting the chair of the council take
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