Friday 13-04-2018 - 09:16

On 3 May this year you can vote in the Durham parish council election to decide who will represent your area in the new Durham parish council.

But what is a parish council?

A parish council is an independent local authority with a wide range of powers that enable them to provide extensive services to their communities, dealing with everything from transport systems to entertainment and support for the arts. Unlike the County Council who deal with issues affecting the whole county, parish councils deal with issues that directly affect the smaller communities they represent. This means they are more likely to have a clear influence on student communities.

The City of Durham parish council will be new this year after receiving the support of the public and councillors in a review in March 2017.

The parish council will be divided into three wards:

• Elvet and Gilesgate (six councillors)
• Neville’s Cross (eight councillors)
• Durham South (one councillor)

To register to vote click here. The deadline to register to vote is the 17 April.

To find out more about the City of Durham parish council click here.