What is a parish/neighbourhood council?
Parish/neighbourhood councils are the lowest level of local government in England. They have two main roles: community representation and local administration. They should reflect a distinctive and recognisable community of place, with its own sense of identity.
Parish/neighbourhood councils offer the potential to:
- Improve smaller areas of the city
- Improve local decision making
- Provide a local voice for the community
- Raise additional public money within their area to support local needs
They can own land and assets and can provide or run services at a local level, for example grass cutting, street lighting, open spaces, community buildings, and allotments.
Parish/neighbourhood councils can raise a small sum of money from local residents in the area (called a “precept”) which is collected along with Council Tax. This charge would be used to provide additional services. This charge would not be paid by all households – it would only be paid by those who pay Council Tax (the same exemptions and discounts would apply).
It is not possible to say exactly how much the precept would be until a Neighbourhood Council is elected – it will be for the elected neighbourhood councillors to decide, but an average precept is around £1 per week.
There are currently two parishes in Birmingham: New Frankley in Birmingham Parish Council and Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council.
A parish/neighbourhood council is one way that Balsall Heath could work together to find solutions for local problems, but there are alternative forms of community governance / representation. As part of the CGR, the city council will explore whether alternative forms of community governance would be more suitable for Balsall Heath.
Page last updated: 18 October 2022
