The Role of Town Councils
There are three tiers of Local Government in Longridge - County Council, District (or Borough) Council, and Town Council. Each tier has distinct responsibilities and works together to serve the needs of residents.
Town Councils represent the first tier of local government - the level closest to the community.
Local Authorities - Who Does What? Town Councils - Tier 1They provide valuable local insight and are increasingly taking on more community-focused responsibilities. These can include:
- Supporting local events and community groups
- Managing assets such as community centres, play areas, and noticeboards
- Reporting local issues like potholes, littering, and dog fouling
- Advocating for the needs and interests of residents to higher-tier authorities
They play an essential role in making their communities better places to live, work, and visit.
District Councils - Tier 2Longridge Town Council comes under Ribble Valley Council who has responsibility for:
- Collection of council tax and business rates
- Refuse, recycling, and litter collection
- Housing services and homelessness support
- Planning applications and local development
- Environmental health, including noise and animal nuisances
- Maintenance of parks, play areas, and open spaces
- Management of allotments
For information on District Council services:
Website: www.ribblevalley.gov.uk
Phone: 01200 425111
Email: webmaster@ribblevalley.gov.uk
Longridge Town Council comes under Lancashire County Council who has responsibility for:
- Children, education, and families
- Health and social care
- Transport and travel
- Roads, potholes, repairs, and gritting
- Recycling centres
- Fire and public safety
- Flooding
- Libraries and archives
- Trading standards
- Births, marriages, and deaths
For more information on County Council services:
Website: www.lancashire.gov.uk
Phone: 0300 123 6701
Email: enquiries@lancashire.gov.uk
Longridge Town Council
Longridge is a thriving community with a wide variety of employment, education, retail and commercial, as well as social businesses and organisations. You can read more about that on our Longridge Today page.
The Town Council operates as the first tier of local government (the town lies in the Borough of Ribble Valley, in the County of Lancashire), and comprises 12 Councillors who are elected or co—opted to act on your behalf. The town is divided into three wards - Alston, Derby and Dilworth wards - you can find out the details of your local Councillor here. As a corporate body, we are responsible for a budget which is used to provide grants to local organisations, fund projects to improve the infrastructure of the community and to support the town's heritage.
The Council meets on the 2nd Wednesday of each month in the Station Buildings - details of meetings are published on this site, as well as on the notice board outside the Council offices. Members of the public are welcome to attend meetings and have the opportunity to speak and inform councillors of their views. Longridge Town Council aims always to be accessible to the public, and we want to represent all views of the residents of Longridge.
In addition, our other responsibilities include:
- Representing the interests of Longridge with decision-making bodies, such as Ribble Valley Borough Council and Lancashire County Council including being a statutory consultee for planning permissions in the Town.
- Managing the money raised (as precept) from your Council Tax bills.
- Seeking other funding and allocating grants and awards to local voluntary and charitable organisations for projects benefiting the community.
- Maintaining the open spaces in Longridge such as Townley Gardens.
- Raising queries with relevant authorities on behalf of residents: Ribble Valley Borough Council, Lancashire County Council, Police, Environment Agency and United Utilities.
Enjoy Longridge - we do!