On 17th December 1894 a poll was conducted to elect 8 Councillors from the 15 applicants to form Swannington Parish Council. The 2 members with the highest number of votes were also appointed District Councillors. The first meeting of the council was held 31st December 1894.

So the present 6 Councillors have a long tradition to uphold. Elected every 4 years they meet 11 times a year in the Village Hall, formerly the Miners Welfare Institute, to make decisions on the work and direction of the Council in representing the people of the parish, including local community groups. Since those early days the Parish Council has made substantial progress. They now own the Village Hall, the Village Sign, as well as the recently installed Diamond Jubilee Commemorative Stone. In addition the village is the home of the highly popular Hough Mill, owned and run by Swannington Heritage Trust.