Parishes are a level of subdivision in Bretherland. It's below the shire level of subdivision the final and smallest subdivision. There are a large amount of parishes within Bretherland, the range for each shire varies and there is no set size for a parish however for administrative purposes 1000 electors is considered the recommended maximum size. There are no subdivisions below parish. Parishes can be created and destroyed by the national government.
Politics[]
Local elections take place to elect members to Parish Councils, Town Councils, City Councils and Shire Councils. Each of these are only present in certain circumstances.
- Parish Councils are the local authority in every parish, barring those that are in towns and cities
- Town Councils are the local authority in towns, they have more powers than parishes to self govern, except for those in greater shires which are the supreme local authorities there
- City Councils are the local authority in cities, all of which are greater shires and are the supreme local authority there
- Shire Councils are the supreme local authority in each shire however have to concede powers to town councils
Responsibilities and powers[]
There is a variance in responsibilities and powers across these local councils, and below is a basic list.
Parish Councils have many but basic responsibilities. Provision of allotments, support for arts and crafts, provision of local meeting halls, support for recreational activities, cemeteries, crematoria, maintenance of ponds, management of litter, provision of public conviniences, provision of footpaths and bridleways and byways, provision of public parking, provision of public clocks, local heritage maintenance and encouraging local tourism.
Town Councils are the authorities on cemeteries, crematoria, housing, licensing, local planning, local tax collection and waste collection in shires. In greater shires they further assume the authority over consumer protection, education, fire, libraries, police, social services, strategic planning, transport and waste management.
City Council are the authorities on every single local power including: cemeteries, consumer protection, crematoria, education, fire, housing, libraries, licensing, local planning, local tax collection, police, social services, strategic planning, transport, waste collection and waste management. On top of this they assume the responsibilities of Parish Councils.
Shire Councils are the authorities in each shire for consumer protection, education, fire, libraries, police, social services, strategic planning, transport, waste management. They are further the authority for housing, licensing, local planning, local tax collection and waste collection however surrender these powers to town councils when they exist in the shire.
Wards[]
When it comes to elections each operate via wards of varying sizes, which are based on parishes.
Parishes must have wards created for it that represent different communities within the parish as much as possible. Each parish has its population divided by 100 to decide how many wards (with a minimum of three wards) must be created, and each ward should have a population as close to 100 people as possible.
Town Councils must have wards created for it that represent different communities within the town as much as possible. The town has its population divided by 1000 to decide how many wards (with a minimum of five wards) must be created, and each ward should have a population as close to 1000 as possible. These wards should be created along parish lines where possible.
City Councils must have wards created for it that represent different communities within the city as much as possible. The city has its population divided by 1500 to decide how many wards must be created, and each ward should have a population as close to 1500 as possible. These wards should be created along parish lines where possible.
Shire Councils must have wards created for it that represent different communities within the shire as much as possible. The shire has its population divided by 500 to decide how many wards (with a minimum of five wards) must be created, and each ward should have a population as close to 500 as possible. These wards should be created along parish lines where possible.
For example: Parish Councils only are present in shires where there is more than one parish and each parish has its own council. Town Councils are present in settlements classed as towns, each town has one and they work in conjunction with the Parish Councils of the town. City Councils are present in settlements classed as cities, each city has one and they work in conjunction with the Parish Councils of the city and have large amounts of devolved power. Shire Councils are present in all Shires that are not Greater Shires, in single parish Shires they are the primary and only form of local government however in multiple parish Shires they share responsibilities with the Parish Councils, they have a large amount of devolved power. Elections to these councils are normally called the Local elections.
During these local elections, the parishes act as the base unit for the election of the councillors for each type of council. However the elections are split with elections to Parish and Shire Councils happening in even years and elections to Town and City Councils happening in odd years. When constituents vote, they vote for a councillor to represent their constituency in the local councils. The voting and election method is largely the same, with a first past the post system operating in all constituencies. However there are differences in how many and who may elect who in each election.
When concerning Parish Councils the parish concerned is divided into wards, each of which elect a warden, each ward covers a thousand of population within the parish with a minimum of five wards. Shire Councils are elected in an identical manner, the Shire concerned is divided into wards, each of which elects a warden, each ward covers a thousand of population within the parish with a minimum of five wards. How many wards a parish or shire should contain is decided by taking the population, dividing by a thousand and rounding down.
When concerning Town Councils, the parishes that the town is composed of are divided up into electoral divisions, each electing a councillor, each electoral division covers two thousand of population within the town with a minimum of ten electoral divisions. City Councils are elected in the same manner with parishes that the city is composed of are divided up into electoral divisions, each electing a councillor, each electoral division covers two thousand of population within the town with a minimum of ten electoral divisions. How many electoral divisions a town or city should contain is decided by taking the population, dividing by two thousand and rounding down.
These systems are, unlike the Shire elections, fully first past the post and as such normally they end up with simple majorities for one party or another unlike in Parliament. However this is considered good by a majority of Bretherlanders as local councils have many executive powers and locals feel they need to be able to act decisively.