Parishes are the smallest areas of civil
administration in England. Eden District is divided into 71
Parishes. They administered by either parish councils or parish
meetings.
Parish Councils
Parish Councils are required to hold at least
four meetings each year which are open to the public, one of which
must be an Annual Meeting of the full Council. Parish Councils have
certain powers and responsibilities under statute including, for
example, the maintenance of community buildings. They usually
employ a Parish Clerk and/or other staff to carry out these duties.
They also have power to raise money (a 'precept') through the local
Council Tax and have a duty to provide accounts.
We arrange and run any elections (held every four
years at the same time as District Council elections) and
by-elections on behalf of Parish Councils.
Further information about Parish Councils can be
found on the
Cumbria Association of Local
Councils (CALC) website.
Parish Meetings
Parish Meetings must assemble annually on some
day between 1 March and 1 June and on one other occasion during the
year. Their meetings are open to the public but only the registered
electors for the Parish are permitted to speak and vote on any
proposal. A Parish Meeting is not a corporate body and is therefore
unable to own property or sue or be sued. Generally speaking it is
not a local authority and its powers are not as wide as those of a
Parish Council. 18 of the areas have Parish Meetings which consist
of the local government electors for the Parish themselves.
Parish Charter for Eden
The Parish Charter for Eden District is an
agreement between Cumbria Council Council, Eden District Council
and many of the District's parish councils. The Charter was signed
on 12 March 2008 and sets out how the three levels of local
government will work together in the future.
Read the ParishCharter for Eden District (PDF: 467Kb / 18 pages)
Un-Parished Area
Penrith Town is an un-parished area and so is not
served by either a Parish Council or a Parish Meeting.
Contacting clerks
View Clerks' contact details
