Government Structure
Parish Councils are the first tier within the British Constitutional structure. Principal Authorities are District or Borough Councils and County Councils. Although legislation, particularly the Local Government Acts, control what both Parish Councils and Principal Councils can undertake legally there are slight differences in how these separate bodies are allowed to operate.
The Principal Council for Lydiard Millicent is Wiltshire Unitary Authority; which covers the geographical area of Wiltshire, excluding the Borough of Swindon, having amalgamated with the four remaining District Councils in 2009. Wiltshire Unitary Authority consists of 98 divisions, each division having one Councillor to represent its population; the local division is titled Royal Wootton Bassett East. This division includes the parishes of Lydiard Millicent, Lydiard Tregoz, Broad Town and the Eastern edge of Royal Wootton Bassett. Councillors for these divisions are all elected at one time for a four year term, the next elections will be held in May 2021.
At a National level, Central Government sits in the Houses of Parliament, Westminster; this time the whole of Great Britain and Northern Ireland being divided into 650 Parliamentary Constituencies; each one having an elected MP who is entitled to sit in the House of Commons. The other House in Parliament is the House of Lords, this membership is not elected, they are usually still active in their chosen careers and draw on this experience to help shape laws and hold the Government to account. There are approximately 800 people eligible to sit in the House of Lords.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also have their own regional governments, with some devolved powers from Central Government.
Swindon Borough Council, also a unitary authority since 1997, borders the Eastern edge of the parish, along with the parishes of Purton, Lydiard Tregoz and Cricklade. Being on the edge of two unitary authorities can cause problems, knowing which authority is responsible for which area is frustrating for residents, leading to anger and upset.
Other local Statutory Organisations