Great Clifton Parish Council is a small local council consisting of twelve councillors who are elected every four years to represent the entire parish. The council members operate on an entirely voluntary & non-party political basis.

The Council elects a Chairman every year, who presides over the Council, which operates in accordance with the powers & duties afforded to local councils. Councillors are bound by legislation in the way they can act on behalf of the community & this is supported by various codes, regulations & standards. The Council employs a Parish Clerk, to undertake the administrative duties of the Council.

As a local council, Great Clifton Parish Council, operates at a level of council closest to the community, the other tiers of council covering the area being Allerdale Borough Council & Cumbria County Council. Each tier of council has its own powers & responsibilities for the provision of services, the more strategic & wide ranging ones being at the higher & appropriate levels of council.

It is the Parish Council's role to listen to & understand the views of the local community, & councillors use their skills & local knowledge to assist & advise the higher tiers of authority on matters of local impact & importance. The Council's formal duties are defined, in particular, by the Local Government Act 1972, & by various other acts of parliament. The Council sets an annual budget, funding for which is received largely through a demand on council tax payers in the Parish, known as the precept, which is collected on its behalf by the Borough Council.

The Council has a right to be consulted on any planning decisions affecting the parish, & through its limited resources, supports services in the parish, including the provision & maintenance of William Street Play Area, maintenance of local footpaths for which it is responsible, provision of bus shelters, provision of benches & seating and financial support by means of donation for local clubs & organisations on application.