Parish Council Trends in Cumbria

Unlike the position for county and district councils, there are no formal arrangements for monitoring the performance of town and parish councils. However, the Cumbria Association of Local Councils (CALC) maintains an informal overview of trends in council practice and activity as part of its role in supporting parish council development and the provision of training.

The latest Parish Council Trends in Cumbria report brings together information held by CALC about town and parish councils for the period 2001-2008. It is not a complete picture of councils' performance but it does present some interesting information and indicates, in general terms, the direction of travel of the parish tier of local government in Cumbria.

The report looks at trends with respect to:

• Performance against CALC's published "recommended standards".
• Attandance at training events.
• Attainment of Quality Town / Parish status.
• Preparation of parish plans.
• Finance - levels of precept.

The report can be downloaded here: