In 1965, the Royal Commission on Local Government (Redcliffe-Maude Commission) recommended that local councils should be empowered to do what they pleased for the benefit of their people. As a result, the 1972 Local Government Act removed many restrictions on the activities of Parish Councils.
For example, before the Act, money could not be saved from one year to the next so as to fund a major project, something which is now possible and avoids having a massive Council Tax for any year in which a major project is attempted.
Subsequent legislation has added to our powers and although Silchester Parish Council has a wide range of powers that it can exercise, not all are appropriate to a Parish of our size. Listed below are powers currently exercised, along with some clarifying details where appropriate.
| Function | Statutory Power and Duty | Details |
| Burial grounds and cemeteries | Power to acquire and maintain Power to provide Power to agree to maintain monuments and memorials Power to contribute towards expenses at cemeteries | The Parish does not own any burial grounds or cemeteries |
| Bus shelters | Power to provide and maintain shelters | The Parish owns and maintains a bus shelter opposite the Calleva Arms public house |
| Bye Laws | Open spaces and burial grounds | The Parish Council in cooperation with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council has implemented bye laws to prohibit the riding of mechanically-propelled vehicles such as motor cycles and ebikes or the driving of vehicles on Silchester Common. Other bye laws also exist regarding the behaviour of persons using the Common and other matters. |
| Charities | Duty to receive accounts of parochial charities. | |
| Clocks | Power to provide public clocks | The Parish does not have any public clocks |
| Community Centres | Power to provide and equip buildings for use of clubs having athletic, social or educational objectives | The Parish contributes to the maintenance of the village hall. |
| Crime prevention | Power to spend money on various crime prevention measures | The Parish supports the active Community Speedwatch team in the village |
| Drainage | Power to deal with ponds and ditches | The Parish maintains the sides and margins of Flexditch pond and Church pond |
| Education | Right to appoint school governors | |
| Entertainment and the arts | Provision of entertainment and support of the arts | |
| Highways | Power to repair and maintain public footpaths and bridleways Power to light roads and public places Power to provide parking places for vehicles, bicycles and motor-cycles Power to enter into agreement as to dedication and widening Power to provide roadside seats and shelters Consent of parish council required for ending maintenance of highway at public expense, or for stopping up or diversion of highway Power to complain to district council as to protection of rights of way and roadside wastes Power to provide traffic signs and other notices Power to plant trees etc. and maintain roadside verges | The Parish carries out small scale repairs. etc to footpaths, bridges, fences et al
The Council provides and maintains a number of seats within the parish
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| Land and open spaces | Power to acquire by agreement, to appropriate, to dispose of | The Parish Council leases Flexditch, and owns Silchester Common (an area of 56 hectares) |
| Litter | Provision of receptacle | The Parish Council has appointed a litter warden for the parish |
| Nuisances | Power to deal with offensive ditches | The Parish Council maintains ditches for the parish |
| Parish property and documents | Power to direct as to their custody | The Parish Council Clerk is responsible for the safe and effective storage and archiving of public records from the parish. Archived documents are lodged at Hampshire County Council offices in Winchester |
| Public buildings and village halls | Power to provide buildings for offices and for public meetings and assemblies | The Parish supports the Village Hall, located on Little London road. The Village hall is owned and managed by the Village Hall Trustees |
| Public conveniences | Power to provide | The Parish does not have any public conveniences |
| Recreation | Power to acquire land for or to provide recreation grounds, public walks, pleasure grounds and open spaces and to control and manage them Power to provide playing fields | The Parish owns Silchester Common which includes the playing fields area opposite the Calleva Arms public house. The parish owns the sports pavilion alongside the playing fields |
| Town and country planning | Right to be notified of planning applications | The Parish Council reviews and is able to comment on all planning applications affecting the parish |
| Tourism | Power to contribute to organisations encouraging | |
| Traffic calming | Powers to contribute financially to traffic calming schemes | The Parish has signed up to Community Speedwatch, a voluntary scheme in association with the police, to monitor speeding vehicles in the parish |
| Transport | Powers to spend money on community transport schemes | |
| War Memorials | Power to maintain, repair, protect and adapt war memorials | The Parish owns and maintains the War Memorial opposite the playing fields on Little London Road |
In addition to all these things, a Parish Council can do anything, provided it is for the general benefit of the community and that the expenditure in any one year does not exceed £10.81 (2024/25) per local government elector in that particular Parish or community. However, most things that the Parish Council might wish or hope to do could be covered by other legislation where the only limit imposed is that of the reluctance of parishioners to pay.