In praise of … civil parishes

Old Englande has bequeathed quaint heirlooms which lack much in the way of logic for staying in being, and yet work rather well. One is the civil parish, the most local form of local government, which is the privilege of 37.5% of England's population. It comes in strange apparel which lends the magic of longevity to greater but more controversial institutions such as the monarchy and House of Lords. Civil parishes have ducked the brickbats of reformers; indeed they have been re-energised in modern times. Dating back to the Norman manorial system, they were given extra powers in the great town hall upheaval in 1972. More areas became eligible. Oxford has set up four in the last 30 years. Even Londoners, except in the City, have been able to create them since 2008, and only last week the initial community petition was submitted for a council in Queen's Park, Westminster. Especially noteworthy in today's referendum-rich times, a mere 10 electors can force a local poll on anything at all in a civil parish; a remarkable piece of direct democracy when you consider that qualifying areas include Hereford, Salisbury and Weston-super-Mare, the largest with a population of over 70,000. There does not have to be a formal parish council; a properly called public meeting suffices. And yet this power is little-known and less used. That is understandable in Chester Castle, and the six other parishes which have no inhabitants, but not elsewhere. Which is why we hope to see them flex more muscle and spread.