It is confusing that 'council' and 'counsel' sound exactly the same. But when we talk about 'a council', we usually say the name of the council (like 'Isis shire council' - the local administration of the shire named Isis). When we know what council we mean, we say 'the council'. ;-)

In AUS, 'advise' or 'give advice' (meaning 'tell') is used more often than 'counsel' (meaning 'suggest  with reasons or examples').