Long Melford Parish Council is the first tier of government for the civil parish of Long Melford, and is committed to working for the benefit of the parishioners.

It is a statutory body and legal entity with a range of powers granted to it by Parliament, including the authority to raise money through taxation (the council tax precept), and spending public money on behalf of the community. It has the right to be advised by the local Planning Authority of planning applications and decisions within the parish, and to have its views about them taken into account. While it has no decision making powers regarding planning, it can make representations to the Planning Authority to try and ensure that developments within the parish comply with the Neighbourhood Plan. It can also lobby for action regarding roads, village facilities, the environment and other issues. The Council’s actions, strategies and policies are determined by the majority decisions of its Councillors, who are elected by the parishioners every four years.

The Council has nine elected and three co-opted councillors, and four employees.

Long Melford Parish Council holds the General Power of Competence, (GPC). This allows the Council to no longer ask whether they have a specific power to act. GPC (LA 2011 s1(1)) gives local authorities, including eligible local councils, “the power to do anything that individuals generally may do” as long as they don’t break other laws. It is a ‘power of first resort’; this means that when searching for a power to act, the first question you ask is whether you can use GPC.