Council = (noun) a formally constituted body of people meeting for administrative or advisory purposes; governing body; legislative body etc.

• Their party won the majority of seats to the local council elections.
• The municipal council awarded special privileges to the school buses for children up to 5th standard.
• The United Nations Security Council.
• The council is planning ways of controlling plastic waste left on roadsides by travellers.

Counsel = (noun, verb) guidance, advice, instruction etc especially that given formally.

• Experts have come forward to counsel the people of Kerala affected by the worst ever flood.
• His job involves counselling young married couples as to how they should lead a happy married life.
• He didn’t heed his father’s wise counsel and lost a major part of his assets in the unexplored business.
• we approached a leading advocate for legal counsel on the sale of our landed property.
• (2) advocate, barrister.
• Her counsel told the jury that the charges were false.

Related words: 1. counsellor  2. counselling.