Melksham Without Parish Council
Melksham Without Parish Council
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About the Council

The Parish of Melksham Without is in the Melksham Community Area.
It is the largest rural parish in Wiltshire and has a population of approximately 8,000. It covers an area of 2,904 hectares (7,173 acres).

There are several villages and communities in the parish, each with its own distinct character and needs.

 

What Parish Councils do? 

Parish Councils are democratically elected local authorities with duties, powers and privileges conferred by Acts of Parliament. They are privileged to be the local authority tier closest to ordinary people and they aim to serve the local community and reflect local views in a number of ways. Parish Councils are on a par with town councils and have the same legal powers, thereby having much wider powers than people realise and can tackle many ambitious projects, providing they have the support of their local community who have to pay for all activities through the parish rate. Here are some services parish councils can provide:

Allotments Village greens Notice boards
Playgrounds Tourist promotion material Car and cycle parks
Sports pitches Lighting Play areas
Trade fairs Community halls Seats, bus shelters
Litter bins Recreational facilities  


As the closest local authority tier to ordinary people, they are useful touchstones of local opinion and are widely consulted by other tiers of government on a variety of topical issues.

Parish councils also have powers to ....


Parish councils have a right to be ......

Parish councils have a right to be consulted about local crime and disorder reduction. Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 places responsibility on them along with other local authorities to take account of crime and disorder implications in all their activities and to actively promote the reduction of crime.