Webinar recording: Understanding and influencing parish and town councils in England and Wales

In this recording of our webinar (original event 20 October 2023), we learned about how local authorities work, and what music groups can do to influence their decision-making.

Local authorities are often big organisations covering a large area or population. In England and Wales, the democratic governing body (and the first tier of local government) which may be more relevant to local music groups is likely to be a parish or town council, of which there are 10,000 in England alone. In particular, they are often responsible for local infrastructure, for example village halls or parks and open spaces.

We welcomed guest speakers:

• Jonathan Owen, Chief Executive of the National Association of Local Councils, who gave an overview on councils and what they do 
• Will Austin, town clerk of Bridport Town Council, who gave a local perspective highlighting the importance of the town council and councillors in their events work, bringing local musicians to the fore 
• Lyn Cadwallader, Chief Executive of One Voice Wales, who gave an overview of how local councils work in Wales 
• Sue Baxter, parish councillor of Bromsgrove, and former Chair of the National Association of Local Councils

The views represented by the speakers in this webinar are their own, and do not represent the views of Making Music.

Useful links:

• Check out the chat Q&A
• Making Music - Why local parish and town councils matter
• Will Austin's Powerpoint slides - How Bridport Town Council supports local musicians

If you have any questions about this event topic, please contact info@makingmusic.org.uk

We hope you find this Making Music resource useful. If you have any comments or suggestions about the guidance please contact us. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the content of this guidance is accurate and up to date, Making Music do not warrant, nor accept any liability or responsibility for the completeness or accuracy of the content, or for any loss which may arise from reliance on the information contained in it.