Parish council

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Main articles: Local government in the United Kingdom, Parish and Civil parish

[edit] England

In England parish councils were formed as part of the feudal system in the 11th century to oversee the social welfare and civic duties of a town or village.

Today, the rise of Local Area Management has lead to an increase in the number of parish councils within urban and rural communities. Not every Civil parish has a Parish council, smaller ones - typically with an electorate under 200 - have Parish meetings instead.

Parish councils are often confused with Parochial Church Councils, which are concerned with the welfare of a particular religious community. Parish councils are a civil body and are not linked to the church.

[edit] Scotland

In Scotland, parishes as subdivisions of administrative counties, had local government bodies called parish councils from 1894 to 1930. Under the Local Government Act 1973, community Ccouncils, with elected councillors, were established throughout Scotland. They are now the most local level of statutory representation, but they have no statutory powers. Many community councils have their own Coats of Arms, which can be seen on the website of the Heraldry Society of Scotland.