The Parish Council represents all the areas listed on the home page and is made up of ten councillors including a chair and a vice chair. Members serve for a period of four years and the present council was elected in May 2023. All councillors are residents of the parish. A clerk is appointed by the council and is paid for his or her services.The role of the clerk is to provide background information in an advisory role, to make sure that the council acts within the law, to maintain financial records, prepare agendas and take minutes. More details on the role of clerk can be found under 'Parish Clerk'

Parish councils form the first layer of local government and as the effects of the new localism act take effect, will become more and more important.

The Parish Council sets a precept which is the amount of money required to fund its operations. A precept is the shortfall of money after a Council has deducted its predicted income from its planned expenditure for the upcoming year. The precept is divided by the number of households in the parish that are eligible to pay Council Tax. Parkham Parish Council uses the precept to look after the parish assets, amenities and grounds; provides community facilities such as the defibrillators, photocopier and ambulance landing site; supports local and national events such as Parkham Welcomes the New Year, the Queen’s Jubilee, the King’s Coronation and D-Day commemorations. It may also award grants to local groups and organisations. 

All planning applications within the parish start at the council. Although the parish council does not have the power to grant permission or to refuse permission it will look carefully at the application, take into account local feelings and make recommendations to the planning authority.

The parish council deals with a huge range of issues ranging from highway matters to individual concerns raised by parishioners, in many cases drawing the attention of the appropriate body to address a specific problem.

Meetings usually take place on the first Monday of the month, actual dates can be found on this site. They are held in the Allardice Hall and agendas are published three working days before the date of the meeting, on this site and on the notice boards at Parkham Green and Horns Cross.  The minutes are published on this site and in the Parkham Pie. Meetings are all open to the public who are actively encouraged to attend and to contribute or raise matters during the 'Public Speaking Time' at the start of the meeting. 

Parkham parish councillors are very aware that they represent the members of the parish and take that responsibility very seriously. Councillors will always listen to the concerns of parishioners and will represent their concerns or issues. Contact details can be found on the village notice board or on this website.