Civil parishes in Cumbria facts for kids

A map of Cumbria, showing the districts: (1) Cumberland; (2) Westmorland and Furness.

A map of Cumbria, showing the pre-2023 districts: (1) Barrow-in-Furness; (2) South Lakeland; (3) Copeland; (4) Allerdale; (5) Eden; and (6) Carlisle.

In England, a civil parish is the smallest type of local government. Think of it as a small community or area that has its own local council to look after local matters. In Cumbria, there are 284 civil parishes, covering most of the county. In 2001, about 73.8% of Cumbria's population lived in these parishes.

These modern civil parishes are mostly based on older church areas. Back in the day, these church areas, called ecclesiastical divisions, also handled some local government tasks through a group called the Vestry committee.

How Parishes Began
Parishes Today
- Forming New Parishes
- Naming Your Council
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How Parishes Began

Early Responsibilities

Civil parishes have a long history. In 1555, a law called the Highways Act 1555 made parishes responsible for keeping roads in good condition. Everyone in the parish had to work on the roads for four days a year, bringing their own tools and horses! An unpaid local person, called the Surveyor of Highways, watched over the work.

Later, in 1572, and more formally with the Poor Law Act 1601, parishes also became responsible for helping people who were poor. They would collect a special tax, called a rate, to support those in need.

Changes Over Time

During the 1800s, parishes gained more responsibilities, though the power to help the poor moved to larger groups called Poor Law Unions. In 1872, the Public Health Act 1872 grouped parishes into Rural Sanitary Districts. These later became the basis for what were known as Rural Districts.

Parishes used to be run by vestries, which were annual meetings where officials were chosen. Over time, some larger parishes had smaller areas called townships that managed their own poor relief. A law in 1882 made these townships into their own independent civil parishes.

Modern Parish Councils

The civil parishes we know today really started with the Local Government Act 1894. This law got rid of the old vestries and set up elected parish councils in rural areas where there were more than 300 voters. It also grouped rural parishes into Rural Districts and made sure parish boundaries matched county and borough boundaries.

Even towns had civil parishes, often matching their larger urban areas. However, these urban parishes didn't have elected councils. Their main job was to choose people for the Poor Law Unions. When the Poor Law system ended in 1930, these urban parishes mostly stopped having a real purpose.

The Local Government Act 1972 kept civil parishes in rural areas. Many former urban areas that were being dissolved became new parishes. Some very large urban areas, however, became "unparished areas," meaning they didn't have a civil parish council.

Parishes Today

Forming New Parishes

In recent years, governments have encouraged communities to form their own town and parish councils, even in areas that didn't have them before. The Local Government and Rating Act 1997 even gave local residents the right to ask for a new civil parish to be created in their area.

Naming Your Council

A parish council can decide to call itself a town council if it wants to. It can also become a city if the King or Queen grants it special city status. The leader of a town or city council is called a mayor.

The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 introduced even more options. Now, a parish council can choose to be called a community council, village council, or neighbourhood council. This allows them to pick a name that best fits their local area.