Town and Parish Councils
In Somerset, there are three tiers of local government: county council, district councils and town/parish councils.
Town and parish councils are an essential to local democracy and
have an important role in shaping the communities they represent
by:
• giving views, on behalf of the community, on planning
applications and other proposals
• undertaking projects and schemes to benefit local
residents
• working in partnership with other bodies to benefit
residents
• alerting relevant authorities to problems that arise
• and helping the other tiers of local government keep in
touch with their local communities.
Town and parish councils have a wide range of powers which essentially relate to local matters, such as looking after community buildings, open space, allotments, play areas, street lighting, bus shelters, car parks and much more. They also have the power to raise money through taxation, known as the 'precept'. The precept is the parish council's share of the council tax. The precept demand goes to the billing authority, the district council, which collects the tax for the parish council.
Contacting your local town/parish council?
Select a town/parish council from the list below for contact details of parish clerks, links to parish websites (where available), plus links to Registers of Interests.- Abbas & Templecombe
- Aller
- Ansford
- Ash
- Ashill
- Babcary
- Barrington
- Barton St David
- Barwick and Stoford
- Beercrocombe
- Bratton Seymour Parish Meeting
- Brewham
- Broadway
- Bruton Town Council
- Brympton
- Buckland St Mary
- Cary Moor - Grouped Council
- Castle Cary Town Council
- Chaffcombe
- Chard Town Council
- Chard Town Council (Avishayes Ward)
- Chard Town Council (Combe Ward)
- Chard Town Council (Crimchard Ward)
- Chard Town Council (Holyrood Ward)
- Chard Town Council (Jocelyn Ward)
- Chard Town Council (Shepherd's Lane Ward)
- Charlton Horethorne
- Charlton Musgrove
- Charltons (The)
- Chillington Parish Meeting
- Chilthorne Domer
- Chilton Cantelo Parish Meeting
- Chiselborough
- Closworth Parish Meeting
- Combe St Nicholas
- Compton Dundon
- Compton Pauncefoot Parish Meeting
- Corton Denham
- Crewkerne Town Council
- Cricket St Thomas Parish Meeting
- Cucklington Parish Meeting
- Cudworth Parish Meeting
- Curry Mallet
- Curry Rivel
- Dinnington Parish Meeting
- Donyatt
- Dowlish Wake
- Drayton
- East Chinnock
- East Coker
- Fivehead
- Hambridge & Westport
- Hardington Mandeville
- Haselbury Plucknett
- Henstridge
- High Ham
- Hinton St George
- Horsington
- Horton
- Huish Episcopi
- Huish Episcopi (Huish Episcopi Ward)
- Huish Episcopi (Wearne and Combe Ward)
- Ilchester
- Ilminster Town Council
- Ilton
- Isle Abbotts
- Isle Brewers Parish Meeting
- Keinton Mandeville
- Kingsbury Episcopi
- Kingsdon
- Kingstone Parish Meeting
- Kingweston Parish Meeting
- Knowles St Giles Parish Meeting
- Langport Town Council
- Long Load
- Long Sutton
- Lopen
- Marston Magna
- Martock
- Merriott
- Milborne Port
- Misterton
- Montacute
- Muchelney Parish Meeting
- Mudford
- Mudford (Mudford Ward)
- North Cadbury - Grouped Council (North Cadbury and Yarlington)
- North Perrott
- North Vale - Grouped Council
- Norton Sub Hamdon
- Odcombe
- Pen Selwood
- Pitcombe
- Pitney
- Puckington Parish Meeting
- Queen Camel
- Rimpton
- Seavingtons
- Shepton Beauchamp
- Shepton Montague
- Somerton Town Council
- South Cadbury and Sutton Montis
- South Petherton
- Sparkford
- Stocklinch
- Stoke Sub Hamdon
- Stoke Trister
- Tatworth & Forton
- Tintinhull
- Wambrook Parish Meeting
- Wayford
- West and Middle Chinnock
- West Camel
- West Coker
- West Crewkerne
- Whitelackington Parish Meeting
- Whitestaunton Parish Meeting
- Wincanton Town Council
- Winsham
- Yeovil Town
- Yeovil Town Council (Crofton Park Ward)
- Yeovil Town Council (Grove Avenue Ward)
- Yeovil Town Council (Wyndham Hill Ward)
- Yeovil Town Council (Yeovil College Ward)
- Yeovil Town Council (Yeovil Lyde Ward)
- Yeovil Town Council (Yeovil Summerlands Ward)
- Yeovil Town Council (Yeovil Westland Ward)
- Yeovil Without
- Yeovilton and District