Prior to the introduction of the 1894 Local Government Act, Fazeley’s residents had no direct say on the governance of Fazeley. Originally the lands of Fazeley were part of the manor of Drayton, but in Tudor times the parish had become the basic unit of civil as well as church government and Fazeley became a parish of Tamworth.

The 1894 Local Government Act introduced elected councils at parish level and in Fazeley, as in all parishes with a population of 300 or more; a parish council had to be elected.

The Act specified that the first elections for parish councils would be held on 17 December and the membership of the new Fazeley parish council was fixed by order of Staffordshire County Council at 9.

The 1894 Local Government Act also gave Fazeley Parish Council the following powers and duties:

• Appointment of overseers of the poor.
• Maintaining and repairing closed churchyards.
• Holding or maintaining parish property (including village greens, allotments, recreation grounds) for the benefit of the inhabitants.
• Election of allotment managers.
• The power to adopt, following a poll of the parish electors:
  • The Lighting and Watching Act 1833 and the Baths and Washhouses Acts 1846 to 1882.
  • The Burials Act 1852 to 1885.
  • The Public Improvements Act 1860.
  • The Public Libraries Act 1892.
  • Acquisition of buildings for parish purposes.
  • Acquisition of land for allotments, public walks and recreation grounds

The first meeting of the newly elected Fazeley Parish Council took place on Monday 31st December 1894 in the Church of England Schoolrooms next to St Paul’s Church. Local factory owner, Richard Tolson, was elected the first Chairman of the Parish, a position he held until his untimely death in 1919.

In 1975 Fazeley became a town and Parish Chairman Arthur Heathcote had the honour of being named the first Mayor of Fazeley.