The Church Lawford Parish Council was formed in or around 1894 following the 1894 Local Government Act.
Those parishes with a population of over 300 were required to elect a Parish Council under the 1894 act, wheras those with between 100 and 300 had the option to do so (which included Church Lawford and King’s Newnham, but only the former chose to do so), and the remainder would need the support of the Borough Council if they wished to elect a Parish Council.
Prior to the 1894 Act the Parish (including King’s Newnham) was governed by the Church Vestry, which made decisions on local taxes as well as looking after those matters that the Lord of the Manor did not have immediate responsibility. The early minutes of those meetings were kept, but are still to be located. Between the two wars the chair of the parish meeting was Simeon Robinson from Manor Farm, and after the Second World War he stepped down. After some discussions with King’s Newnham, who held a similar parish meeting, reviewing whether to form a joint Parish Council, the standalone Church Lawford Parish Council was formed, with minutes available from 1949.
The members of the Parish Council in that first minuted meeting in 1949 were:
- Rev. L W Blount (Chair)
- A G Day
- W L Simmonds
- Mrs Blount
- E Chambers
- C W Reay
The minutes books for the next few decades up until 1974 are held at the Warwick Records Office, and these show that a lot of the issues people will be familiar with in the 21st Century were on the agenda in those times.
For example, back in 1951 the Parish Council were progressing issues with the sewage system, lighting, transport services, the state of the roads (following the gas main installation), allocation of new housing and mutilated grass verges. Perhaps the only issue that no longer crops up would be the question of a replacement sub-postmistress.
Please note that King’s Newnham continues to look after its own local affairs by convening a Parish Meeting where necessary.
The Church Lawford Parish Council has its own website at http://www.churchlawfordpc.co.uk/
The stated roles of the Parish Council are to represent the interests of the parish and have a variety of powers and duties, all of which impact directly on the community. The website states (March 2025) that they are are responsible for:
- The upkeep and provision of public spaces in the parish e.g. allotments and recreation grounds
- Street lighting
- Scrutiny of planning applications
- Community buildings e.g. the bus shelters
- Litter bins
- Rights of way
- Tourism
- Local entertainment and the arts On the Parish Council Website can be found the Parish Plan and a Housing Needs Survey.