Parishes (Hansard, 13 May 2002)

§ Mr. Gray
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many parish councils in England have a population of(a) under 3,000, (b) 3,000 to 10,000, (c) 10,001 to 20,000, (d) 20,001 to 30,000 and (e) over 30,000. [55724]

§ Dr. Whitehead
My Department does not hold current statistics on the populations of all parish councils in England. A survey¹ was carried out in 1997 by the Aston Business School, from which the following data have been drawn:

Population size band Councils in England Percentage

Less than 500 3,252 40

500–999 1,734 21

1,000–2,499 1,591 20

2,500–4,999 760 9

5,000–9,999 487 6

10,000–19,999 251 3

20,000 and above 64 1

Total 8,139 100

¹DETR 1998 "Local Councils' Use of Section 137: A financial review of parish and town councils in England and their discretion to spend under Section 137 of the Local Government Act 1972"; ISBN 1 85112 118 8.

§ Mr. Gray
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many parishes are exempt from the right to buy as a consequence of their population. [55725]

§ Ms Keeble
No parishes are exempt from the right to buy.
However, when selling properties under the right to buy scheme, landlords may impose restrictions on their resale if they are located in national parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty, or certain rural areas designated for this 448W purpose. An owner may be required to offer the property back to the landlord (if they wish to resell within ten years) or to people who have lived or worked locally for three years. The intention is to try to ensure that more of the existing housing in rural areas is available to local people. There are currently 24 designated rural areas, and our November 2000 Rural White Paper "Our Countryside: The Future" encouraged other local authorities to consider seeking designation.

§ Mr. Gray
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many parishes are able to claim business rates relief on village shops as a consequence of their population. [55726]

§ Dr. Whitehead
This information is not available.
To be eligible for rate relief under the village shop scheme, the business must be located in a qualifying rural settlement. Qualifying rural settlements must have a population of no more than 3,000, and be wholly or partly in a rural area that has been designated by the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions. However, it is the responsibility of the local authority to determine which settlements in its area meet the criteria for the scheme, to identify their boundaries and to place them on its local rural settlement list. Information on their number is not held centrally.

Population size band	Councils in England	Percentage
Less than 500	3,252	40
500–999	1,734	21
1,000–2,499	1,591	20
2,500–4,999	760	9
5,000–9,999	487	6
10,000–19,999	251	3
20,000 and above	64	1
Total	8,139	100
¹DETR 1998 "Local Councils' Use of Section 137: A financial review of parish and town councils in England and their discretion to spend under Section 137 of the Local Government Act 1972"; ISBN 1 85112 118 8.