Parish Councils are an important tier of Government within the UK; a Parish Council is the smallest and most localised tier of local government in the UK and is a properly constituted local authority. The powers and duties, and the manner in which a Parish Council operates are laid out in local government statute and regulations; Parish Councils operate at a level below national government and also below district and borough councils. Parish Councils are elected and can help on a number of local issues, like planning applications or running local sports grounds and community halls.