Can a Parish council spend any amount of money without consulting the parishoners.

Question

Our council is looking to spend up to £2.8 million investing in a solar energy farm and £200K on a nursery schoolroom. Do the parishoners have any say in the matter? Should they be balloted for example?

Answer 1

Technically a local council can make any decision it likes, so long as it is done in a formal council meeting preceded by the publication of an agenda three clear days ahead, and there is a specific item in the agenda that describes the decision to be made.

Having said that, it is certainly wiser for a council that is about to make a major decision to make extra efforts to inform citizens and to seek their feedback.  Just making the decision regardless runs the risk of a major backlash.

If citizens want to be involved, they can attend council meetings (which should normally provide for members of the public to speak) or insist on a parish meeting being held to generate wider discussion. None of this forces the council to do or not do anything, but a strong indication of public opinion can be influential.