Councils have different levels – these are called tiers.
- The first tier is county councils
- The second tier is made up of district, city or borough councils
- The third tier is made up of town or parish councils
County councils
County councils cover a very large area with between half and one and a half million people living there.
These are the services that county councils provide with partners (different organisations):
- Waste disposal
- Public Health
- Environment
- Education
- Libraries
- Social Care – Children, elderly and vulnerable people
- Street lights
- Road maintenance
- Bridges
- Trading Standards
- Transport
District councils
There are eight district councils within Devon:
District councils cover
- Local planning
- Council housing
- Devon home choice
- Homelessness
- Benefits
- Refuse collection
- Street cleaning
- Sports and leisure facilities
- Environmental Health
Parish or town councils cover
- Allotments
- Playing fields
- Village greens
- Swimming pools
- Bus shelters
- Public seats
- Providing halls and meeting places