A parish council is a civil local authority found in England and is the first tier of local government. They are elected bodies, have variable powers, and are responsible for areas known as civil parishes, serving in total 16 million people. A parish council serving a town may be called a town council, and a parish council serving a city is styled a city council; these bodies have the same powers, duties and status as a parish council. Parish and town councils vary enormously in size, activities and circumstances, representing populations ranging from less than 100 to up to 100,000. Most of them are small: around 80% represent populations of less than 2,500.
There are approx. 9,000 parish and town councils in England. Over 16 million people live in communities served by these local councils, which is around 25% of the population, and about 80,000 councillors serve on these councils. Their activities fall into three main categories: representing the local community, delivering services to meet local needs, and improving quality of life and community well being.
Parish councils are funded by levying a “precept” collected from within the council tax paid by the residents of the parish. Parish councils are made up of unpaid councillors who are elected to serve for four years. A casual vacancy may be filled by by-election or co-option.