Lancashire council charter aims to improve parish relationships

The updated document commits County Hall to engaging with the local councils

A new charter aimed at improving the working relationship between Lancashire County Council and the region's parish authorities has been approved.

The document, which was last updated in 2013, contains dozens of pledges from County Hall, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

They include a promise to maintain a direct point of contact to ensure prompt responses to any issues raised.

The charter was welcomed by Lancashire Association of Local Councils (LALC).

About half of Lancashire's residents are currently represented by a parish or town council across 212 areas, with the remainder being "unparished".

'Stimulating'

The updated document commits the county to engaging with the local councils "on all issues that are likely to affect their area" and even floats the idea of delegating responsibility for some services to parishes, where this is deemed appropriate and with their agreement.

The county council's cabinet member for cultural services Peter Buckley said it recognised that parishes "come with a variety of needs, aspirations [and] budgets".

Fellow cabinet member Graham Gooch, who has chaired Longton Parish Council for more than 16 years, said it would be empowering as many of the authorities "could do more and I think this is a way of stimulating them into action".

LALC's Debra Platt said her members had previously reported that "relationships with our county council could be better".

"Representatives of LALCs executive worked alongside county and local council colleagues on the charter's review," she said.

"The pledges to improve communications and assist local councils to carry out their valuable work in their communities will be well-received and I hope will help build a productive working relationship."