The Parish Councillor's Guide, 20th edition

Author: Paul Clayden
Pages: 256 pages
Type: Paperback, November 2009, 198x128mm

Contents: A-Z listing of all the responsibilities of parish and community councils and councillors
Contents description: For over eighty years The Parish Councillor’s Guide, under a series of editors, has attempted to meet the queries of generations of parish councillors and their clerks.
Although it is less than three years since the previous edition, some important changes in the law have taken place. These include new provisions relating to reviews of parishes in England in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, with the power to create parishes in Greater London; the extension to some parish councils of the power to promote well-being enacted by the Local Government Act 2000; the removal of local councils from the ambit of the best value legislation (also in the LGPIHA 2007); new codes of conduct for councillors in both England and Wales; new regulations on allowances for community councillors in Wales; new election rules; revised accounting guidance and practice; and the coming into force of much of the Commons Act 2006. There have also been many detailed changes in regulations and orders made by statutory instrument.


The alphabetical format of the book remains the same, as does its extensive but clear coverage of all aspects of the law and practice of parish, town and community councils in England and Wales.


New councillors, in particular, will find this book invaluable and, in fact, many clerks insist that all their councillors have a copy to ensure they have a full understanding of their duties and responsibilities. It is also an essential reference for clerks themselves.

What's the difference between 'The Parish Councillor's Guide' and 'The Councilor'?

"Basically, The Parish Councillor's Guide is a bit of a misnomer. It is a guide to the law of parishes, as useful (if not more so) to Clerks as to members. The Councillor is definitely aimed at members as it describes their duties and responsibilities".

CRISPIN WILLIAMS, Publications Director, Shaw & Sons Limited