What does the Council do?

What is a Parish Council?

Parish councils were established in 1894 to take on the duties formally administered by churchwardens and overseers of the poor. They are the first tier of local government and deal with village community matters. A civil parish is an independent local authority for villages, smaller towns, and suburbs of urban areas. Councils are funded principally by an annual precept. The precept is collected through a council tax by the principal authority, i.e. Cheshire East Council and is paid to the Parish Council in two six-monthly installments. Parish councils are run by Councillors, who volunteer their time, and their work falls into three main categories:

Representing the local community
Delivering services to meet local needs
Striving to improve the quality of life in the parish

What do they do?

Parish councils have a wide range of powers given to them through legislation. They have tax-raising powers, known as the precept; they consider and comment on all planning applications concerning Disley & Newtown and make recommendations to the planning team at Cheshire East Council but do not have the power to approve or refuse them; they can have an input into village crime prevention; they can make bye-laws in specific areas; they can provide amenities and facilities such as community centres, parks, play areas, allotments and bus shelters.

Who runs the Parish Council?

Disley Parish Council is run by nine parish councillors from the village, elected every four years, who appoint a chair as the leader. The Parish Clerk, who receives remuneration, is an employee if the Council and is non-political. The clerk is responsible for the organisation of the council including dealing with correspondence, financial matters, preparing agendas for meetings and personnel.

How does the Council do its business?

The council meets at Disley Community Centre at 7.00pm on the second Thursday of each month. Agendas for all meetings are posted on village notice boards and agendas, agenda papers and minutes are available on the Council website at:

Meeting Agendas and Minutes