A Parish Council is regarded as the 1st Tier of Government.

Parish and town councils are a statutory local authority set up under the Local
Government Act 1972. In Somerset, there are three tiers of local government-
County Council, District Councils and Town/Parish Councils.

Town and parish councils are 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
• Helping the other tiers of local government keep in touch with their local communities
• Undertaking projects and schemes to benefit local residents
• Working in partnership with other bodies to benefit residents
• Alerting relevant authorities to problems that arise