It is often difficult to remember which level of our local government is responsible for
the various services we receive. Hopefully this page will help clarify the situation.

• We have responsibility for the maintenance of:
o Recreational facilities - Playing Field and car park, Pavilion and Playground
o The Cemetery and War Memorial
o The Clock Tower and the neighbouring Water Pump, Potto Brown Statue
and Telephone Box Library
o Bus Shelters on St Ives Road and the two new ones on the A1123
o Benches at Loxley Green and Houghton Lock
o Five Notice Boards
o Three dog poo bins on the NT campsite (including emptying them)
o Common Land

• We also:
o Provide funds to maintain the closed churchyard of St Mary’s Church.
o Provide grants for community benefit
o Have a duty to be socially responsible by supporting voluntary activities.
o Encourage tourism and local businesses
o Are statutory consultees on Planning Applications in the Parish, making
only comments and recommendations. We are also consulted on other
applications that could impact our Parish.
o Liaise with and are consulted by the District Council and County Council on
matters they control within the Parish.
o Are consulted on relevant matters to the Parish by the Emergency Services
and the Environment Agency.
o Lobby politicians on local issues.
o Carry out basic work to keep Rights of Way open by clearing vegetation
and contacting land owners.
o Employ a litter picker to keep the centre of the village tidy.

Parish Councils also have the statutory powers to do other things, some of which we
have used, e.g. the power to borrow money for the new bus stops, the right to
nominate assets as assets of community value and others which we have not, e.g.
the power to provide a mortuary or a boating pond.

Parish Councils have the power to tax their residents via the annual precept (part of
Council Tax), to support their operations and to carry out local projects. The
Council has to account for all income and all expenditure.

Website: www.Huntingdonshire.gov.uk Telephone: 01480 388 388
• Refuse and recycling collection
• Street Cleaning
• Planning and Planning Enforcement. As the Planning Authority, HDC makes
the decisions on Planning Applications.
• Housing Improvement Grants
• Environmental Health
• Licensing
• Elections
• Parks and Open Spaces. In the Parish they maintain areas such as Loxley
Green and the green area at Hill Estate.
• Country parks and nature reserves such as Hinchingbrooke and Paxton Pits.
• One Leisure Centres
• Housing
• Economic Development
• Car Parking (generally limited to in the towns)
• CCTV in town centres
• Council Tax
• The Thicket Wood
• Voluntary Services

Website: www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk Telephone 0345 045 5200
• Education including admission, childcare and transport
• Roads, Highways including Rights of Way, footpaths, bridleways, potholes, etc.
• Libraries
• Social Services
• Recycling
• Street Lighting
• Trading Standards
• Car Parks and Disabled Parking Permits
• Maintenance of some green areas, such as road verges
• Planning and Provision of bus services including some funding for certain
routes, concessionary bus passes, Park and Ride and the Guided Busway

• Planning decisions on mineral extraction, waste disposal and council services
• Registrar services for births, deaths and marriages
• Emergency Planning
• Land Ownership e.g. farms.

Website: www.cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk
The key ambitions for the Combined Authority are strategic and include:
• doubling the size of the local economy
• accelerating house building rates to meet local and UK need
• delivering outstanding and much needed connectivity in terms of transport and
digital links
• providing the UK’s most technically skilled workforce
• transforming public service delivery to be much more seamless and
responsive to local need
• growing international recognition for our knowledge based economy
• improving the quality of life by tackling areas suffering from deprivation.

To achieve these objectives the Combined Authority is set to receive funding and
powers from Central Government in a number of areas including:
• £170 million to deliver new homes over a five-year period in Peterborough and
Cambridgeshire which includes affordable, rented and shared ownership
housing
• £20million a year funding over 30 years to boost growth in the region
• responsibility for chairing a review of 16+ skills provision in the area.

The new Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayor for the Combined Authority could
also exercise certain powers and functions devolved from Central Government.