VAT126 for Parish Councils: Reclaiming VAT
29 October 2026
How a parish council reclaims VAT under section 33 without being VAT registered, what counts as non-business activity, and the three traps in a VAT126 claim.
Read moreGuides
Practical compliance guidance for parish and town council clerks — SAPPP assertions, Transparency Code, GDPR, audit preparation, and more.
Parish Council Powers: Discretionary Functions and What Your Council Can Actually Do
15 October 2026
Parish councils have a range of discretionary powers beyond their mandatory duties. This guide explains what your council can legally do, from section 137 spending to the general power of competence.
Read moreParish Council Duties: What Councils Must Do by Law (and What They May Do)
8 October 2026
Parish councils have mandatory duties they must fulfil and discretionary powers they may exercise. This guide explains the difference and lists both categories clearly.
Read moreParish Council Meeting: Procedure, Public Access, and What Clerks Must Get Right
1 October 2026
Parish council meetings must follow statutory procedure: 3 clear days' notice, public admission, quorum rules, and proper voting. Here is what clerks must get right.
Read moreParish Council Allotments: Statutory Duties, Waiting Lists, and Managing Your Plots
24 September 2026
Parish council allotments: the 1908 Act duty to provide, when electors can petition, waiting list and tenancy rules, and statutory protection against disposal.
Read moreParish Council Asset Register: What AGAR Assertion 6 Requires and How to Maintain It
17 September 2026
Parish council asset register: what AGAR Assertion 6 requires, what counts as a fixed asset, how to value assets, and what the internal auditor checks.
Read moreParish Council Meeting Agenda: What Must Be Included and How to Give Proper Notice
10 September 2026
Parish council meeting agenda requirements: the three-clear-days notice rule under Schedule 12 LGA 1972, summons delivery, and what happens if notice fails.
Read moreParish Council Grants: Section 137 Powers, What You Can Fund, and How to Record It
3 September 2026
Parish council grant-making under section 137 LGA 1972: the benefit test, annual spending limit, eligible recipients, and what the internal auditor checks.
Read moreThe Role of a Parish Clerk: Responsibilities, Qualifications, and What Good Governance Requires
27 August 2026
What a parish clerk does, the legal basis for the role, qualifications expected (CiLCA), financial officer responsibilities, and what auditors check.
Read moreAnnual Parish Meeting: What It Is, When It Must Happen, and What to Record
20 August 2026
Annual parish meeting requirements: when to hold it (1 March–1 June), who attends, who chairs, what business is possible, and what the clerk must record.
Read moreParish Council Neighbourhood Plans: Powers, Process, and What to Expect
13 August 2026
What a neighbourhood plan is, why parish councils are the body responsible for leading one, the seven-step statutory process, and the governance obligations it creates.
Read moreParish Council General Power of Competence: Eligibility, Benefits, and What Changes When You Have It
6 August 2026
What the general power of competence is, which parish councils qualify, what it allows the council to do differently, and how eligibility is declared and renewed.
Read moreParish Council Freedom of Information: Responding to Requests and Meeting Your Publication Duties
30 July 2026
How the Freedom of Information Act 2000 applies to parish councils, the 20-working-day response deadline, what you can and cannot withhold, and how the publication scheme reduces requests.
Read moreParish Council Annual Governance Statement: Completing AGAR Section 1 Correctly
23 July 2026
What each assertion in the parish council annual governance statement means, the order of approval, common errors, and how to handle a 'no' answer.
Read moreParish Council Risk Assessment: What AGAR Auditors Expect to See
16 July 2026
What a parish council risk assessment must cover, how to structure it for AGAR Assertion 5, and the common failures that generate 'no' answers in the governance statement.
Read moreParish Council Casual Vacancies: How to Fill a Seat Legally
9 July 2026
What counts as a casual vacancy in a parish council, when to hold an election versus co-option, and the exact notice and 14-day window that determines the route.
Read moreParish Council Financial Regulations: What to Adopt, Review, and Get Right
2 July 2026
What parish council financial regulations cover, the annual review obligation, the NALC 2024 model, and how procurement rules changed under the Procurement Act 2023.
Read moreParish Council Standing Orders: Adoption, Annual Review, and the NALC Model
25 June 2026
What parish council standing orders are, where the legal power to make them comes from, what they should cover, and how to adopt and review them using the NALC model.
Read moreParish Council Newsletters: The Publicity Rules, GDPR, and How to Distribute Lawfully
18 June 2026
How a parish council can run a newsletter lawfully — the local authority publicity code, the data protection rules for a mailing list, and the funding powers behind it.
Read moreParish Council Co-option: The Process, Notice Periods, and How to Avoid a Challenge
11 June 2026
How parish councils fill a casual vacancy by co-option — the statutory 14-day notice, the by-election trigger, eligibility, the declaration of acceptance, and how challenges arise.
Read moreParish Council Insurance: What Cover You Need and What Insurers Want to See
4 June 2026
What insurance a parish council actually needs — the one statutory cover, the proper-practice covers, and what an insurer's renewal questionnaire asks about your governance.
Read moreParish Council Meeting Minutes: What to Include, When to Publish, and Who Signs
21 May 2026
What parish council minutes must contain, the one-month publication deadline, the draft-versus-signed distinction, and how to handle corrections.
Read moreSetting Your Parish Council Precept: Process, Deadlines, and Common Mistakes
14 May 2026
How parish councils set the precept — the November to January timeline, the council tax base, referendum thresholds, and common errors that delay approval.
Read moreParish Council Publication Scheme: What to Include and How to Maintain It
7 May 2026
What a parish council publication scheme must contain under FOI Act 2000, the seven information classes, and the practical maintenance routine clerks need.
Read moreParish Council Website Accessibility: Meeting WCAG 2.2 AA Requirements
30 April 2026
Parish council websites must meet WCAG 2.2 AA. What changed in October 2024, what your accessibility statement must include, and how to evidence it at audit.
Read moreParish Council Complaints Procedure: Handling Code of Conduct Complaints
23 April 2026
What parish council clerks must do when a code of conduct complaint arrives — the process, common mistakes, and how to handle service complaints separately.
Read moreParish Council Compliance Checklist: Every Obligation in One Place
16 April 2026
Every compliance obligation your parish council must meet — governance, finance, data protection, digital, and publication requirements in one checklist.
Read moreParish Council Clerk Responsibilities: Your Complete Compliance Guide for 2026
9 April 2026
Every compliance obligation a parish council clerk is responsible for — governance, finance, data protection, digital compliance, and publication duties.
Read moreParish Council GDPR Compliance: 3 Failures the ICO Keeps Finding
2 April 2026
The ICO flagged three recurring GDPR problems in parish councils — personal email, data hoarding, and sharing confusion. Here is how to fix each one.
Read moreHow to Create a Parish Council IT Policy That Meets Assertion 10
26 March 2026
Step-by-step guide to creating, customising, and formally adopting a parish council IT policy that satisfies SAPPP Assertion 10 audit requirements.
Read moreAGAR for Parish Councils: Deadlines, Requirements, and Preparation Guide
19 March 2026
Everything parish council clerks need to know about AGAR — deadlines, what each section requires, how to prepare, and what changed with Assertion 10.
Read moreSAPPP Assertion 10: What Every Parish Council Must Do About Digital Compliance
12 March 2026
Assertion 10 adds digital and data compliance to your parish council audit — domain, email, IT policy, accessibility, and GDPR. Here is what to do.
Read moreParish Council Internal Audit Checklist: What Auditors Check in 2026
5 March 2026
What parish council internal auditors check against each AGAR assertion — evidence to prepare, common failures, and the new Assertion 10 digital requirements.
Read moreWhat Your Parish Council Must Publish Under the Transparency Code
26 February 2026
Every item parish councils must publish under the Transparency Code for Smaller Authorities — what to publish, when, and in what format.
Read moreParish Council Code of Conduct: The Complete Clerk's Guide
19 February 2026
How parish council clerks adopt, implement, and manage the LGA Model Code of Conduct — step-by-step adoption, register of interests, and breach handling.
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