Parish/Town Councils were first created as a result of the Local Government Act 1894 (Section 6) which transferred certain parish matters originally dealt with by the Church vestry to the Parish Council. 

The Parish Council is a statutory corporate body.  It has a legal identity which is separate from its members and it can only act under "powers" or "duties" expressly conferred by legislation otherwise it is acting unlawfully.  It must act reasonably within its powers.  Most procedures of the Council are found in the Local Government Act 1972.

• "Powers" - are discretionary and a policy decision, for example, the Parish Council may provide seats and shelters in roads (Section 1, Parish Councils Act 1957).
• "Duties" - are mandatory and must be adhered to.  These are quite often procedural, for example, three clear days notice of a meeting must be given.

The Council is responsible for service delivery, setting the budget and precept and is accountable to the electorate of the community it serves.

The Clerk

The Clerk is the proper officer of the Council and is accountable to the Council as a body, being responsible for preparing agendas and taking Minutes of meetings, updating the web site, acting on the decisions of the Council and managing  its affairs, ensuring the smooth, efficient, lawful running of Council business. Middleton on the Wolds Parish Clerk is also the Councils Responsible Finance Officer, and as such writes budgets, and manages all aspects of finance for the Council.

Councillors