What We Do

Shurdington Parish Council is an elected body in the first tier of local government. Elections are held every four years, while the Chairman is elected by the Council and serves for a one year term.

Senior tiers, such as Tewkesbury Borough Council and Gloucestershire County Council, or authorities such as Highways England, are responsible for delivering services such as education, housing, town and country planning, transport, environmental health and social services. Conversely, the Parish Council has fewer duties and lesser powers, and is best suited to representing the interests of the community by making representations to these higher bodies.

The most common way in which we do this is through our role as a Statutory Consultee regarding planning applications in the Parish. Councillors, guided by the National Planning Policy Framework, are asked by the Borough planning committee to make comments. While the Council does not have the final say, the comments made must be acknowledged.

However, the Parish Council does have legal power to take certain actions. Examples of the work we have done in the past – and work that is currently ongoing – include the refurbishment of the children’s play area on the King George V Playing Field, the funding of a Taxi Voucher Scheme for our older and less mobile parishioners, and the provision of allotments on Farm Lane. We also support the work of local organisations such as the Scouts and the Community Centre through grants.