A civil parish is a subnational entity, forming the lowest unit of local government in England. There are 21 civil parishes in the ceremonial county of West Midlands, most of the county being unparished; Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton are completely unparished. At the 2001 census, there were 89,621 people living in the parishes, accounting for 3.5 per cent of the county's population.
History
Parishes arose from Church of England divisions, and were originally purely ecclesiastical divisions. Over time they acquired civil administration powers.Angus Winchester, 2000, Discovering Parish Boundaries. Shire Publications. Princes Risborough, 96 pages
The Highways Act 1555 made parishes responsible for the upkeep of roads. Every adult inhabitant of the parish was obliged to work four days a year on the roads, providing their own tools, carts and horses; the work was overseen by an unpaid local appointee, the Surveyor of Highways.RAC Foundation : What Went Wrong? British Highway Development Before Motorways Retrieved 22 August 2009
The poor were looked after by the monasteries, until their dissolution. In 1572, magistrates were given power to 'survey the poor' and impose taxes for their relief. This system was made more formal by the Poor Law Act 1601, which made parishes responsible for administering the Poor Law; overseers were appointed to charge a rate to support the poor of the parish.The Victorian Web : The Poor Law : Introduction Retrieved 22 August 2009 The 19th century saw an increase in the responsibility of parishes, although the Poor Law powers were transferred to poor law unions.Staffordshire University : Poor Law Unions and Registration Districts Retrieved 22 August 2009 The Public Health Act 1872 grouped parishes into rural sanitary districts, based on the poor law unions; these subsequently formed the basis for rural districts.A Vision of Britain Through Time : Status Details for Rural Sanitary District Retrieved 22 August 2009
Parishes were run by vestries, meeting annually to appoint officials, and were generally identical to ecclesiastical parishes,Robert Tittler, The Reformation and the Towns in England, 1998, Oxford University Press, 395 pages, although some townships in large parishes administered the Poor Law themselves; under the Divided Parishes and Poor Law Amendment Act 1882, all extra-parochial areas and townships that levied a separate rate became independent civil parishes.Modern British Surnames : Selected Events in the History of Civil Registration and Boundary Changes 1801-1996 Retrieved 22 August 2009
Civil parishes in their modern sense date from the Local Government Act 1894 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 73), which abolished vestries; established elected parish councils in all rural parishes with more than 300 electors; grouped rural parishes into rural districts; and aligned parish boundaries with county and borough boundaries. Urban civil parishes continued to exist, and were generally coterminous with the urban district, municipal borough or county borough in which they were situated; many large towns contained a number of parishes, and these were usually merged into one. Parish councils were not formed in urban areas, and the only function of the parish was to elect guardians to poor law unions; with the abolition of the Poor Law system in 1930 the parishes had only a nominal existence.Alex MacMorran and T. R. Colquhoun Dill, The Local Government Act 1894 and the Subsequent Statutes Affecting Parish Councils, 1907, Butterworth and Co, London, 626 pages
The Local Government Act 1972 retained civil parishes in rural areas, and many former urban districts and municipal boroughs that were being abolished, were replaced by new successor parishes; urban areas that were considered too large to be single parishes became unparished areas.Office of Public Sector Information : Local Government Act 1972 Retrieved 22 August 2009
The current position
Recent governments have encouraged the formation of town and parish councils in unparished areas, and the Local Government and Rating Act 1997 gave local residents the right to demand the creation of a new civil parish.Office of Public Sector Information : Local Government and Rating Act 1997 Retrieved 22 August 2009
A parish council can become a town council unilaterally, simply by resolution; and a civil parish can also gain city status, but only if that is granted by the Crown. The chairman of a town or city council is called a mayor. The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 introduced alternative names: a parish council can now choose to be called a community; village; or neighbourhood council.Office of Public Sector Information : Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 Retrieved 22 August 2009
List of civil parishes and unparished areas
Image Name Status Population District Former local authority Refs Birmingham Unparished area 825,177 Birmingham BirminghamCounty Borough A Vision of Britain Through Time : Birmingham County Borough Retrieved 16 September 2009Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Urban Areas : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Acocks Green; Aston; Bartley Green; Billesley; Bournville; Brandwood; Edgbaston; Erdington; Fox Hollies; Hall Green; Handsworth; Harborne; Hodge Hill (part); Kings Norton; Kingsbury (part); Kingstanding; Ladywood; Longbridge (part); Moseley; Nechells; Northfield; Oscott; Perry Bar; Quinton; Sandwell; Selly Oak; Shard End (part); Small Heath; Soho; Sparkbrook; Sparkhill; Stockland Green; Sutton Vesey (part); Washwood Heath; Weoley; and Yardley wards. Retrieved 26 August 2009 New Frankley in Birmingham Civil parish 7,890 Birmingham BromsgroveRural District Retrieved 16 September 2009Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Parish Headcounts : Birmingham Retrieved 16 September 2009 Sutton Coldfield Town 144,020 Birmingham Sutton ColdfieldMunicipal Borough Retrieved 16 September 2009Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Urban Areas : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Hodge Hill (part); Kingsbury (part); Shard End (part); Sheldon; Sutton Four Oaks; Sutton New Hall; and Sutton Vesey (part) wards. Retrieved 26 August 2009 Allesley Civil parish 805 Coventry MeridenRural District A Vision of Britain Through Time : Meriden Rural District Retrieved 16 September 2009Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Parish Headcounts : Coventry Retrieved 16 September 2009 Coventry Unparished area 299,252 (including Finham) Coventry CoventryCounty Borough Retrieved 16 September 2009Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Urban Areas : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Bablake (part); Binley and Willenhall; Cheylesmore; Earlsdon; Foleshill; Henley; Holbrook; Longford; Lower Stoke; Radford; Sherbourne; St Michael's; Upper Stoke; Wainbody; Whoberley; Woodlands; and Wyken wards. Retrieved 26 August 2009 Finham Civil parish Coventry CoventryCounty Borough Keresley Civil parish 791 Coventry MeridenRural District Dudley Unparished area 194,804 Dudley DudleyCounty Borough A Vision of Britain Through Time : Dudley County Borough Retrieved 16 September 2009Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Urban Areas : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Amblecote (part); Brierley Hill; Brockmoor and Pensnett; Castle and Priory; Coseley East; Coseley West; Gornal; Kingswinford North and Wall Heath; Kingswinford South; Netherton and Woodside; Quarry Bank and Cradley (part); Sedgley; St Andrews; St James's; St Thomas's; and Wordsley wards. Retrieved 26 August 2009 Halesowen Unparished area 55,591 Dudley HalesowenMunicipal Borough Retrieved 16 September 2009Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Urban Areas : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Belle Vale and Hasbury; Halesowen North; Halesowen South; Hayley Green; and Quarry Bank and Cradley (part) wards. Retrieved 26 August 2009 Stourbridge Unparished area 54,760 Dudley StourbridgeMunicipal Borough Retrieved 16 September 2009Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Urban Areas : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Amblecote (part); Lye and Wollescote; Norton; Pedmore and Stourbridge East; and Wollaston and Stourbridge West wards. Retrieved 26 August 2009 Warley Unparished area 139,855 Sandwell WarleyCounty Borough A Vision of Britain Through Time : Warley County Borough Retrieved 17 September 2009Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Urban Areas : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Abbey; Blackheath; Bristnall; Cradley Heath and Old Hill; Langley; Old Warley; Oldbury; Rowley; Smethwick; Soho and Victoria; St Pauls; Tipton Green (part); and Tividale wards. Retrieved 26 August 2009 West Bromwich Unparished area 143,049 Sandwell West BromwichCounty Borough Retrieved 17 September 2009Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Urban Areas : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Charlemont; Friar Park; Great Barr; Great Bridge; Greets Green and Lyng; Hateley Heath; Newton; Princes End; Tipton Green (part); Wednesbury North; Wednesbury South; and West Bromwich Central wards. Retrieved 26 August 2009 Balsall Civil parish 6,234 (including Chadwick End) Solihull MeridenRural District Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Parish Headcounts : Solihull Retrieved 22 November 2009 Barston Civil parish 499 Solihull MeridenRural District Berkswell Civil parish 2,843 Solihull MeridenRural District Bickenhill and Marston Green Civil parish 6,583 Solihull MeridenRural District Castle Bromwich Civil parish 11,857 Solihull MeridenRural District Chadwick End Civil parish Solihull MeridenRural District Chelmsley Wood Town 13,010 Solihull MeridenRural District Cheswick Green Civil parish Solihull Stratford on AvonRural District Hockley Heath Parish Council : The New Parishes Retrieved 22 November 2009Population included in Hockley Heath Dickens Heath Civil parish Solihull Stratford on AvonRural District Fordbridge Town 8,748 Solihull MeridenRural District Hampton in Arden Civil parish 1,787 Solihull MeridenRural District Hockley Heath Civil parish 6,771 Solihull Stratford on AvonRural District Retrieved 22 November 2009Population includes Cheswick Green; Dickens Heath; and Tidbury Green Kingshurst Civil parish 8,126 Solihull MeridenRural District Meriden Civil parish 2,734 Solihull MeridenRural District Smith's Wood Civil parish 10,943 Solihull MeridenRural District Solihull Unparished area 119,382 Solihull SolihullCounty Borough Retrieved 17 September 2009Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Urban Areas : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Bickenhill (part); Elmdon; Knowle; Lyndon; Olton; Packwood (part); Shirley East; Shirley South; Shirley West; Silhill; and St Alphege wards. Retrieved 26 August 2009 Tidbury Green Civil parish Solihull Stratford on AvonRural District Aldridge-Brownhills Unparished area 83,159 Walsall Aldridge-BrownhillsUrban District Retrieved 25 November 2009Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Urban Areas : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Aldridge Central and South; Aldridge North and Walsall Wood; Brownhills; Hatherton Rushall (part); Pelsall; Pheasey; and Streetly wards. Retrieved 26 August 2009 Walsall Unparished area 170,340 Walsall WalsallCounty Borough Retrieved 25 November 2009Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Urban Areas : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Bentley and Darlaston North; Birchills Leamore; Blakenall; Bloxwich East; Bloxwich West; Darlaston South; Hatherton Rushall (part); Paddock; Palfrey; Pleck; Short heath; St Matthew's; Willenhall North; and Willenhall South wards. Retrieved 26 August 2009 Wolverhampton Unparished area 236,582 Wolverhampton WolverhamptonCounty Borough A Vision of Britain Through Time : Wolverhampton County Borough Retrieved 25 November 2009Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Urban Areas : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population : Wolverhampton City Retrieved 25 November 2009
See also