Council information

Honeybourne Parish Council was formed in 1953 from the Parishes of Church Honeybourne and Cows Honeybourne.  The two Parishes appear to have retain financial  independent until 1958

What are Local Councils?

A local council is a universal term for community, neighbourhood, parish and town councils. They are the first tier of local government and are statutory bodies. They serve electorates and are independently elected and raise their own precept (a form of council tax). There are 10,000 local councils in England with over 30% of the country parished and 100,000 councillors who serve in these local councils, with over £1b being invested into these communities every year.

What do Local Councils do?

Local councils were created in law back in 1894, they can only act within the law by exercising their powers and functions which have been conferred on them by Statutes (Acts of Parliament). Anything a local council tries to do outside of these powers is ultra vires, in other words, outside the law.

Local councils work towards improving community well-being and providing better services. Their activities fall into three main categories: representing the local community; delivering services to meet local needs; striving to improve quality of life and community well-being.

Honeybourne Parish Council is responsible for the following services in the Parish but is not an exhaustive list of what a local council can deliver.

  • Allotments
  • Burial Ground, cemetery
  • Footway lighting in School Street, Stratford Road, Grove Avenue, Gloster Ades, Breforton Road, High Street, Green Close, Brick Walk, China Corner, by the church and Cotswold View.
  • Honeybourne Sports Field
  • The Leys Playing Field
  • Annual Christmas Tree light switch on
  • 2 VAS ( Vehicle Activated Signs)
  • Benches
  • Bus Shelter
  • 3 Defibrillators

What is the General Power of Competence?

The Council adopted the General Power of Competence on 13th January 2026, having confirmed at that time that it met the eligibility criteria: that at least two-thirds of the Council’s filled seats were held by councillors elected (rather than co-opted) at an ordinary or by-election, and that the Clerk held the Certificate in Local Council Administration (CiLCA).

This power, available under the Localism Act 2011, allows the Council to do anything an individual could lawfully do, provided no other specific law already governs the activity.

It is important to understand what this power does and does not mean in practice:

  • It does not create any new funding, and does not commit the Council to any new spending
  • It does not override the Council’s existing priorities, agreed budget, or Forward Plan
  • It does not change how decisions are made — every decision still requires discussion and a resolution at a properly convened Council meeting, following the normal agenda process
  • Where specific legislation already covers an activity (such as raising a precept or issuing fixed penalty notices), the Council must continue to use that specific legislation, not the General Power of Competence

In short, the General Power of Competence gives the Council confidence that it has the legal capacity to act where no other power already applies — it is not a mechanism for committing the Council to undertake any particular project, and any proposal to use it would still need to go through the Council’s usual decision-making process.

Honeybourne Parish Council has 11 Councillor seats, all elected for a term of four years. There are currently 2 vacancies, filled through the casual vacancy process.

The Parish Council year begins officially with the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council. At this meeting the Parish Councillors elect a Chairman and a Vice-Chair, Parish Council Committees and Advisory Groups, as well as representatives to outside bodies.

Some local services are provided by Wychavon District Council and Worcestershire County Council . Honeybourne Parish Council work very closely with these organisations to ensure that the Parish is represented, with District and County Councillors also attending Parish Council meetings.

Honeybourne is represented by 2 District Councillors and 1 County Councillor.

To contact your District and County Councillors: