What Can Town Councils Do?
Parish and Town Councils like Sandy are civil local authorities within the first tier of local government. They are the elected bodies closest to the community, which represent and speak up for their residents and have tax raising powers which enable them to provide some local services and facilities. The Town Council is funded by the residents of Sandy and Beeston who pay a tax or “precept”. This precept is collected by Central Bedfordshire Council on behalf of the Town Council as part of the general Council Tax. The Town Council also generates income by charging for some of its services.
Central Bedfordshire Council is a unitary authority and the principal authority which has responsibility for most of the statutory services in Sandy eg schools and education, health, waste disposal, libraries, highways and social services. It has many legal duties to deliver services.
Sandy Town Council has only a limited range of duties that it must fulfil. But the Town Council has a general power of competence which means it has wide ranging freedom to choose what actions it wants to take. Town Councils can play a vital part in representing the interests of their communities and improving the quality of life and the local environment although they may be limited by the resources they have available.
You can find more information about the structure of local councils if you click here.
Sandy Town Council is made up of 15 councillors and you can find out more about the work our councillors do by reading the Good Councillor Guide below.