Letter: Parish and Town Councils Will Become More Essential Than Ever

Published on: 26 Jul, 2025
Updated on: 26 Jul, 2025

From John Ferns

In response to: What Do Parish Councils Do?

Brian Creese’s recent letter suggests that parish councils are outdated, ineffective, and poor value for money. That may reflect his own experience in Worplesdon, but it certainly does not reflect the situation in Ash.

Ash Parish Council is an active, responsive, and valued part of our community. Its councillors -who are all unpaid – regularly represent local views on planning applications, engage with residents on a wide range of concerns, and help secure action from borough officers on everything from infrastructure and drainage to anti-social behaviour.

It is not a political talking shop; indeed, it is generally frowned upon for councillors to operate under party labels. The focus is on community, not partisanship.

Yes, the council supports and organises well-known public events – such as the Remembrance Day parade, the Parish Fete, and fireworks displays – but these are just the visible tip of a much broader contribution.

The council helps manage allotments, burial grounds, and local amenities, supports the local museum and community groups, and plays a key role in guiding where planning-related funds are directed for public benefit. These are not ceremonial duties. They are practical, day-to-day matters that affect real lives.

It is also worth noting that three of our parish councillors currently sit on Guildford Borough Council’s nine-member Executive. That is not a conflict – it is a strategic advantage. It means Ash residents’ concerns can be voiced directly at the highest level of borough governance.

With local government reorganisation on the horizon and the likely creation of a more distant unitary authority, parish and town councils will be more essential than ever. They may soon be the only layer of local government where residents can actually speak to someone who lives nearby, understands the area, and can do something about local problems.

Rather than dismissing parish councils as outdated, we should be strengthening them and supporting the many hardworking individuals who make them work.

The Ash Parish Council website articulates precisely what they set out to do.

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