Cossington Parish Council, like other Parish Councils, is the first of the three tiers of Local Government - the other two being the County Council (Somerset) and District Council (Sedgemoor). It has a vital role in acting on behalf of the community it represents and a wide range of powers which essentially relate to local matters.

In particular, the Parish Council :-  

• is consulted by the District Council, on behalf of the parish, in relation to planning applications and other proposals that affect the parish;

• undertake work and projects that will benefit the parish;

• work in partnership with other organisations to achieve benefits for the parish;

• inform other organisations of problems that arise or work that needs to be undertaken; and

• help the other levels of Local Government keep in touch with their local communities.

The Parish Council operates in accordance with the National Standing Orders model and a strict Code of Conduct based on the principles of Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty, and Leadership.

The Parish Council also has a financial duty to responsibly deploy funds raised through a precept from the local inhabitants and make financial decisions which will benefit the community. The precept is allocated and collected with the Council Tax by the District Council. The Parish Council’s income and expenditure is very closely monitored and the Accounts are audited annually by independent Auditors.

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