Parish Council Compliance Checklist
Self-assess your council's compliance against every AGAR governance assertion, including the new Assertion 10 digital requirements. No signup needed — your answers stay in your browser.
Financial Management
Assertions 1–2: Effective financial management and budgeting
Bank reconciliation completed at year-end (cashbook matches bank statement)
All payments authorised by council resolution and recorded in minutes
Budget approved by council resolution before precept demand submitted
Budget monitored during the year (quarterly or monthly reports)
VAT reclaims submitted and records maintained
Section 137 expenditure tracked separately and within statutory limit
Governance & Standing Orders
Assertions 3–4: Compliance with laws and proper practices
Standing orders adopted and reviewed within the last 12 months
Financial regulations adopted and reviewed within the last 12 months
Code of conduct adopted and published on council website
All councillors registered their interests with the monitoring officer
Annual meeting of the council held within statutory timeframe
Risk assessment reviewed and approved within the current financial year
Insurance cover reviewed (public liability, fidelity guarantee, employer's liability)
Transparency Code
Assertions 5–6: Transparency and public rights
All expenditure items above £100 published online
End-of-year accounts signed and published by 1 July
Annual governance statement signed and published by 1 July
Internal audit report signed and published by 1 July
List of councillor names and responsibilities published
Public land and building asset register published
Agendas published 3+ clear days before meetings
Draft minutes published within 1 month of each meeting
Public rights period advertised and facilitated (30 working days)
GDPR & Data Protection
Assertion 7 and Assertion 10 (data elements)
Privacy notice published on council website
Data Protection Officer (DPO) arrangement in place
Freedom of Information requests responded to within 20 working days
Subject Access Requests responded to within 1 calendar month
Council business conducted via official email (not personal accounts)
Publication scheme maintained and accessible
Assertion 10: Digital Compliance
New for 2025 — council domain, accessibility, IT policy
Council website on a council-owned domain (not a personal domain)
Official email addresses on the council domain (not Gmail/Outlook)
Website meets WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standards
Accessibility statement published and up to date
IT policy formally adopted by council resolution
Data handover procedure documented for clerk changes
How to use this checklist
This checklist covers the key compliance areas your internal auditor assesses during the annual AGAR cycle. Work through each section and mark items as compliant (Yes), partially compliant (Part), or non-compliant (No). Your answers stay in your browser — nothing is sent to us.
The traffic-light scoring gives you a quick snapshot of where your council stands. Focus on red areas first — these represent the highest audit risk. Amber items need attention but are less urgent. Green areas are on track.
Assertion 10 is new for 2025–26. If your council has not yet addressed council-owned domains, official email, website accessibility, or an IT policy, start there. The Assertion 10 guide explains each requirement and gives you a realistic timeline for getting compliant.
For detailed guidance on audit preparation, read the internal audit checklist guide, which covers what evidence to prepare for each assertion and the most common failures auditors find.
This tool is for self-assessment purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The definitive source for AGAR requirements is the SAPPP Practitioners' Guide, published annually by JPAG through NALC and SLCC.