South Tawton Parish Council

South Tawton Parish Council is the first tier of local government for the parish of South Tawton, on the northern edge of Dartmoor near Okehampton. The parish covers the villages of South Tawton and South Zeal, along with the smaller settlement of Taw Green. The council works alongside Devon County Council, West Devon Borough Council and Dartmoor National Park Authority to represent residents' interests, comment on local planning applications, and manage community assets on the parish's behalf. Day to day, the council looks after green spaces and the public toilets at the Recreation Ground, coordinates community events such as the Remembrance Sunday service, and awards small grants to local groups and organisations. It has also installed five public access defibrillators across the parish and set up a village emergency telephone system for use in emergencies. South Zeal, historically a separate town within the parish, retains its own strong identity, with the Cawsand (Cosdon) Beacon and Shelley Pool wild swimming spot both popular local landmarks. St Andrew's Church and its adjoining Church House sit at the heart of South Tawton village. South Tawton Parish Council is entirely separate from Sticklepath Parish Council, which serves the neighbouring village of Sticklepath under its own independent parish administration. Cover photograph: St Andrew's Church and Church House, South Tawton, by nick macneill, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.