This is a list of the most populous civil parishes in England .[ 1] It includes all civil parishes with populations over 30,000, representing less than 1% of all civil parishes but almost 3% of the population.
Lichfield, Hereford and Salisbury are in addition to being some of the most populous civil parishes in England , among the smallest cities .
The first civil parish councils were created in 1894, mostly in rural areas, replacing the duties of local church authorities.
Many large parishes have been created during the 21st century, due in part to new procedures making their creation easier, and also the ongoing creation of large unitary authorities , which has led to the desire to retain a more local tier of government.
In 2020, Northampton became the largest civil parish in England due to local government reorganisation in 2021 which saw it become part of the larger West Northamptonshire unitary authority.[ 2]
Rank
Parish
District
Population
Status
Parish council created
Council
1
Northampton
West Northamptonshire
137,387[ 3]
Town
2020
Northampton Town Council
2
Sutton Coldfield
Birmingham
96,678[ 4]
Town
2016
Sutton Coldfield Town Council
3
Weston-super-Mare
North Somerset
82,418[ 5]
Town
2000
Weston-super-Mare Town Council
4
Shrewsbury
Shropshire
76,782[ 6]
Town
2009
Shrewsbury Town Council
5
Aylesbury
Buckinghamshire
63,126[ 7]
Town
2001
Aylesbury Town Council
6
South Swindon
Swindon
62,871 [ 8]
Parish
2017
South Swindon Parish Council
7
Bracknell
Bracknell Forest
60,057[ 9]
Town
1955
Bracknell Town Council
8
Kidderminster
Wyre Forest
57,400[ 10]
Town
2015
Kidderminster Town Council
9
Keighley
Bradford
57,345[ 11]
Town
2002
Keighley Town Council
10
Kettering Town
North Northamptonshire
57,100
Town
2021
Kettering Town Council
11
Crewe
Cheshire East
55,318[ 12]
Town
2013
Crewe Town Council
12
Banbury
Cherwell
54,335[ 13]
Town
2000
Banbury Town Council
13
Weymouth
Dorset
53,427 [ 14]
Town
2019
Weymouth Town Council
14
Hereford
Herefordshire
53,112[ 15]
City
2000
Hereford City Council
15
Macclesfield
Cheshire East
52,496[ 16]
Town
2015
Macclesfield Town Council
16
Royal Leamington Spa
Warwick
50,923[ 17]
Town
2002
Royal Leamington Spa Town Council
17
Lowestoft
East Suffolk
47,879[ 18]
Town
2017
Lowestoft Town Council
18
Folkestone
Folkestone and Hythe
47,352[ 19]
Town
2004
Folkestone Town Council
19
Salisbury
Wiltshire
41,820[ 20]
City
2009
Salisbury City Council
20
Ramsgate
Thanet
41,896[ 21]
Town
2009
Ramsgate Town Council
21
Farnham
Waverley
39,167
Town
1984
Farnham Town Council
22
Canvey Island
Castle Point
38,941
Town
2007
Canvey Island Town Council
23
Hatfield
Welwyn Hatfield
38,600
Town
1894
Hatfield Town Council
24
Bishop's Stortford
East Hertfordshire
37,873
Town
1974
Bishop's Stortford Town Council
25
Bury St Edmunds
West Suffolk
37,854
Town
2003
Bury St Edmunds Town Council
26
Elstree and Borehamwood
Hertsmere
37,084
Town
1894
Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council
27
Leighton–Linslade
Central Bedfordshire
37,081
Town
1974
Leighton-Linslade Town Council
28
Andover
Test Valley
36,977
Town
2010
Andover Town Council
29
Morecambe
Lancaster
36,530
Town
2009
Morecambe Town Council
30
Billingham
Stockton-on-Tees
36,424
Town
2007
Billingham Town Council
31
Blyth
Northumberland
36,379
Town
2009
Blyth Town Council
32
Bridlington
East Riding of Yorkshire
36,324
Town
2000
Bridlington Town Council
33
Bridgwater
Sedgemoor
35,625
Town
2003
Bridgwater Town Council
34
Chippenham
Wiltshire
35,155
Town
1984
Chippenham Town Council
35
Dunstable
Central Bedfordshire
35,068
Town
1985
Dunstable Town Council
36
Exmouth
East Devon
34,441
Town
1995
Exmouth Town Council
37
Earley
Wokingham
33,755
Town
1974
Earley Town Council
38
Central Swindon North
Swindon
33,495
Parish
2017
Central Swindon North Parish Council
39
Ecclesfield
Sheffield
32,903
Parish
1894
Ecclesfield Parish Council
40
Abingdon-on-Thames
Vale of White Horse
32,183
Town
1974
Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council
41
Rayleigh
Rochford
31,982
Town
1996
Rayleigh Town Council
42
Morley
Leeds
31,832
Town
2000
Morley Town Council
43
Stanley
County Durham
31,673
Town
2007
Stanley Town Council
42
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
31,392
Town
1974
Trowbridge Town Council
45
Loughton
Epping Forest
31,218
Town
1996
Loughton Town Council
46
Newbury
West Berkshire
31,200
Town
1997
Newbury Town Council
47
Lichfield
Lichfield
31,068
City
1980
Lichfield City Council
48
Winsford
Cheshire West and Chester
31,038
Town
1974
Winsford Town Council
49
Bicester
Cherwell
30,474
Town
1974
Bicester Town Council