Local council powers and duties
| Item | Powers and Duties | Statutory provisions |
| Allotments | Powers to provide allotments. Duty to provide allotment gardens if demand unsatisfied & if reasonable to do so. | Small Holding & Allotments Act 1908,s.23 |
| Baths (public) | Power to provide public swimming baths | Public Health Act 1936, s.221 |
| Borrowing money | Power to borrow money for their statutory functions or for the prudent management of their financial affairs | LGA 2003, Schedule1, para.2 |
| Burial grounds, cemeteries & crematoria | Power to acquire and maintain | Open Spaces Act 1906, ss. 9 & 10 |
| Burial grounds, cemeteries & crematoria | Power to provide | LGA 1972, s. 214 |
| Burial grounds, cemeteries & crematoria | Power to agree to maintain monuments & memorials | parish councils & burial authorities (misc. provisions) Act 1970, s. 1 |
| Burial grounds, cemeteries & crematoria | Power to contribute to expenses of cemeteries | LGA 1972, s. 214(6) |
| Bus Shelters | Power to provide & maintain bus shelters | LGA (misc. provision) 1953,s.4 |
| Byelaws | Power to make for: Cycle parks | Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984, s. 57(7) |
| Byelaws | Power to make for: Mortuaries & post-mortem rooms | Public Health Act 1936, s. 198 |
| Byelaws | Power to make for: Open spaces & burial grounds | Open Spaces Act 1906, ss. 15 |
| Byelaws | Power to make for: Places of public recreation | Public Health Act 1875, s. 164 |
| Byelaws | Power to make for: Public swimming baths | Public Health Act 1936, s. 223 |
| Charities | Duties in respect of parochial charities | Charities Act 2011, ss. 298-303 |
| Charities | Power to act as charity trustees | LGA 1972, s. 139(1) |
| Clocks | Power to provide public clocks | Parish Councils Act 1957, s. 2 |
| Closed Churchyards | Powers to maintain | LGA 1972, s. 215 |
| Commons & common pastures | Powers in relation to enclosure, regulation, management & provision of common pasture | Inclosure Act 1845; Small Holdings & Allotments Act 1908, s. 34 |
| Community Centres | Power to provide & equip buildings for use of clubs having athletic, social or educational objectives | LGA (misc. provisions) 1976, s. 34 |
| Community Centres | Power to acquire, provide & furnish community buildings for public meetings & assemblies. | LGA 1972, s. 133 |
| Conference facilities | Power to provide & encourage the use of the facilities | LGA 1972, s. 144 |
| Crime prevention | Power to spend money on crime detection & prevention measures | Local Government & rating Act 1997, s. 31 |
| Ditches & ponds | Power to drain & maintain ponds and ditches to prevent harm to public health | Public Health Act 1936, s.260 |
| Entertainment & arts | Provision of entertainment & support of the arts | LGA 1972, s.145 |
| Environment | Power to issue fixed penalty notices for litter, graffiti & offences under dog control orders | Clean Neighbourhoods & Environment Act 2005, s. 19, s. 30. part 6. |
| General Power of Competence (GPC) | Power for an eligible council to do anything subject to statutory prohibitions, restrictions & limitations including those in place before or after introduction of GPC) | Localism Act 2011, ss. 1-8 |
| Gifts | Power to accept gifts of land | LGA 1972, s. 139 |
| Highways, dedication & widening | Power to enter into agreement as to dedication & widening | Highways Act 1980, ss. 30, 72 |
| Highways, ending maintenance | Consent of parish council required for ending maintenance of highway at public expense, or for stopping up or diversion of highways | Highways Act 1980, ss. 47, 116 |
| Highways, lighting | Power to light roads & public places | Parish Councils Act 1957, s. 3; Highways Act 1980, s. 301 |
| Highways, seats & shelters | Power to provide roadside seats & shelters | Parish Councils Act 1957, s. 1 |
| Highways. Parking | Power to provide parking places for vehicles, bicycles & motor-cycles | Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984,ss. 57, 63 |
| Highways. Protection of rights of way & roadside waste | Power to complain to district council as to the protection of rights of way & roadside waste | Highways Act 1980, s. 130 |
| Highways. Public footpaths & bridleways | Power to repair & maintain public footpaths & bridleways | Highways Act 1980, ss. 43 & 50 |
| Highways. Traffic signs & notices | Power to provide certain traffic signs & other notices | Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, s. 72 |
| Highways. Trees & verges | Power to plant trees etc. & maintain roadside verges | Highways Act 1980, s. 96 |
| Honorary Titles | Power to admit to be honorary freemen/freewomen of council’s area persons of distinction & persons who have, in the opinion of the authority, rendered eminent services to that place or area | LGA 1972, s. 249(5), s. 249(9) |
| Investments | Power to participate in schemes of collective investment | Trustees Investments Act 1961, s. 11 |
| Land. Acquire | Power to acquire by agreement, to appropriate, or dispose of | LGA 1972, ss.124, 126, 127 |
| Land. Gifted | Power to accept gifts of land | LGA 1972, s. 139 |
| Litter | Provision of bins | Litter Act 1983, ss, 5, 6 |
| Lotteries | Powers to promote | Gambling Act 2005, s. 252, 258 |
| Markets | Powers to establish or acquire by agreement markets within their area & provide a market place & market buildings | Food Act 1984, s, 50 |
| Mortuaries & post mortem rooms | Powers to provide mortuaries & post mortem rooms | Public Health Act 1936, s. 198 |
| Neighbourhood Planning | Powers to act as a lead body for a neighbourhood development plan or a neighbourhood development order | Localism Act 2011, Sch. 9; Town & Country Planning Act 1990, ss. 61E-61Q, Sch 48; Planning & Compulsory Purchases Act 2004, s. 38A |
| Newsletters | Power to provide information relating to matters affecting local government | LGA 1972, s. 142 |
| Nuisances | Power to deal with offensive ditches | Public Health Act 1936, s. 260 |
| Open spaces. Open spaces | Power to acquire & maintain land for open spaces | Open Spaces Act 1906, ss. 9 and 10 |
| Open spaces. Public recreation | Power to acquire & maintain land for public recreation | Public Health Act 1875, s. 164 |
| Parish property & documents | Powers to receive & retain | LGA 1972, s. 226 |
| Parish property & documents | Duty to deposit certain published works in specific deposit libraries | Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003, s. 1 |
| Public buildings & village hall | Power to acquire & provide buildings for public meetings & assemblies | LGA 1972, s. 133 |
| Public conveniences | Power to provide | Public Health Act 1936, s. 87 |
| Recreation. Boating pools | Provision of boating pools | Public Health Act 1961, s. 54 |
| Recreation. Facilities | Power to provide a wide range of recreational facilities | Local Government (misc. provisions) Act 1976, s. 19 |
| Services that are provided by a principal authority | Right to challenge. The right to submit an interest in running a service provided by a district, county or unitary authority | Localism Act 2011, ss. 81-86 |
| Assets of community value | Right to nominate and bid | |
| Tourism | Power to encourage tourism to the council’s area | LGA 1972, s. 144 |
| Town & country planning | Right to be notified of planning applications if right has been requested. | |
| Traffic calming | Powers to contribute financially to traffic calming schemes | LGRA 1997, s. 30 |
| Transport | Powers to spend monet on community transport schemes. | |
| War memorials | Power to maintain, repairs, protect & adapt war memorials | War Memorials (Local Authorities’ Powers) Act 1923, s. 1; as extended by LGA 1948, s. 133 |
| Water supply | Power to utilise wells, springs or streams for obtaining water | Public Health Act 1936, s. 125 |
| Websites | Power for councils to have their own websites | LGA 1972, s. 142 |
This table should be compared with the responsibilities table and, at some stage, will be combined.