Local Government in some form has existed as long as history. Prior to 1601 parishioners were cared for and infrastructure developments initiated by the Lord of the Manor. As the manor court declined, the influence, wealth and responsibility of the Church increased. In 1601 the Church was given the power to levy a poor rate for the relief of poverty and exercise of charity. But over the next 160 years, the system gradually fell into great disrepute due to amateurishness and corruption so that, in 1868, the church rate ceased to be levied and parish administration was reduced to the bare minimum.

It took 20 years of experiment and legislation to come up with a workable system of local government, which was finally completed with the Local Government Act of 1894 introduced by Gladstone. The Act effectively excluded the Church from formal participation in local government; this caused a great deal of acrimony at the time and many Parish Councils began without the co-operation of the 'great and good'.

Braughing Parish Council held its first meeting on 4 December 1894 at which 7 members were elected by a show of hands. At the next meeting, held on December 17 1894, Mr Herbert Shepherd-Cross was elected as its first Chairman. At that time he lived at Hamels Mansion and owned a great deal of property in Braughing Parish and was the Member of Parliament for Bolton, Lancs. It was also agreed to appoint Mr N J Woodward as Clerk at a salary of £5 per annum; he also served as assistant overseer. Mr Hugh Cunliffe Foster Esq, a banker in Bishop's Stortford, was appointed treasurer.

Since 1894, there have been thirteen Chairmen of the Council: 

H Shepherd-Cross MP (1894-1916)

C J Longman (1916-1925)

C P Mole (1925-1942)

F G Webb (1942-1947)

C A Standbrook (1947-1951)

R A Hanbury (1951-1971)

G K M St Aubyn (1971-1979)

V G Babbage (1979-1982)

Mrs E M Piggott (1982-1986)

P F Jones (1986-1987)

G H A Smith (1987-1999) 

M J Howard (1999-2003)

A Peat (from 2003)

Only ten Clerks have served the Council:

N J Woodward (1894-1897)

A Weir (1897-1903)

A W Gray (1903-1920)

J Marshall (1920-1964)

V Babbage (1964-1968)

S H Rogers - also served as local District Councillor until his sudden death (1968-1987)

Mrs J Bly (1988-1998) 

Mrs P A R Dye (1998-2000)

Mrs B Norris (2000-2003)

Mrs G Atkins (from 2003)

The Clerk is the only paid employee of the Council and is responsible for administering all decisions and preparing the accounts.

Until 1914, Parish Councils were locally opposed, often derided and poor. Nonetheless, Parliament gradually increased their functions and powers to those that they hold today, the most recent were granted under the Government and Rating Act 1997.

In the early days, before the establishment of public utilities, the Council was involved in sewage disposal. In 1897 the Council arranged for a 'filter bed to be filled in and pipes laid to convey sewage for natural filtration by means of open ditches in field' (Causeway Field). In 1937, a resolution was forwarded to the District Council that something should be done for the collection of Night Soil (earth closet buckets) from approximately 100 houses in the Parish; contractor H Webb was appointed at 4d per bucket. A request for a main sewer was made and refused in 1951 but was finally agreed in 1958.

The first consideration of a speed limit was in 1912 when a limit of 10mph was called for in Green End and Mount Hill; the County Council regretted that this could not be imposed. From then on a speed limit was regularly applied for and was finally granted in 1938, only to be abolished in 1963. Again, many applications were made with most of Braughing being covered by 1994 and the rest of the Parish in Green End, Hay Street and Dassels in 1999.

In 1919, Mr Longman of Upp Hall gave land for a children's play area in commemoration of his son, who was one of the early casualties of the First World War. He also gave land for 8 cottages with rents of 7/- for farm workers and 10/- for others, which became the oldest Council houses in Green Lane.

The first woman Councillor to be elected was Lady Henderson of Upp Hall in 1937. It took another 45 years for the first, and only, woman Chairman to be elected - Mrs Evelyn Piggott, who is still a familiar face in the Parish.

The Council played its part in organising civil defence during the Second World War. In July 1940 a pump was delivered to be used in the event of fires caused by air raids. In September 1940 a resolution was passed that an air raid siren be erected and this was placed on the roof of the Bird in Hand, the home of the Chief Air Raid Warden, Mr F G Webb. There was a major controversy in March 1941, when the Jubilee seat was moved by the Home Guard from the War Memorial without permission from the Clerk or Chairman of the Council; after much acrimonious correspondence the Home Guard reported that they no longer needed the site and agreed to reinstate the seat, where it remains to this day.

The most recent controversy arose late in 1998 when the Council, following requests from Parishioners, suggested the removal of the two new snow geese, Bertie and Gertie, who had been purchased as companions to the only remaining goose, Sam. In the resulting Parish ballot it was agreed by 518 votes to 76 to keep the geese and the issue was widely reported in all the national newspapers and National and International radio and television. The three geese became four with the hatching of 'Braffy' in June 1999.

Following the elections in May 1999 the Council comprises Cllrs Michael Bennett, Roy Glazebrook, Michael Howard, Clive Marshall, Wayne Lysaght Mason, Sandy Varley and David Willamson. It budgeted to spend £17,220 in 1999/00 on a variety of local services including grass cutting, maintenance of the local rights of way, street lighting, support for local groups such as the Braughing Playing Fields Association and maintenance of the play area.

Working with Hertfordshire County Council and East Herts District Council, Braughing Parish Council has the power and influence to effect significant developments in improving life in the Parish. This small yet historic local institution is the basis of local democracy - long may it thrive in the next millennium.