Guides for clerks and councillors

Guides for clerks and councillors

How the job actually works: the dates that don't move, the rules behind them and the way experienced clerks handle them. Written to be read in ten minutes and kept.

Running the council

New parish clerk? What to find, what's due and who to call in your first month
A checklist for a newly appointed parish clerk: the documents to track down, the deadlines that don't wait, the people to introduce yourself to, and the things the last clerk probably kept in their head.
25 October 2026
A councillor has resigned: casual vacancies and co-option, step by step
What to do when a parish councillor resigns or is disqualified: the notice of vacancy, the 14 days in which ten electors can call an election, co-option when they don't, and the six-month rule.
25 October 2026

Meetings and minutes

Three clear days: how to give notice of a parish council meeting properly
What 'three clear days' means, why most councils give more, what the summons and the public notice must contain, where to display them, and what happens if you get it wrong.
25 October 2026
Writing parish council minutes that stand up: what to record and what to leave out
Minutes are a legal record of decisions, not a transcript. What has to be in them, what shouldn't be, how drafts become approved minutes, and how to handle corrections, recordings and old minute books.
25 October 2026

Money and the audit

Setting the parish precept: the timetable from October to January
How a parish council sets its precept: what the tax base is, how to turn a budget into a Band D figure, when the billing authority needs the demand, and how to explain a rise to residents.
25 October 2026
The Transparency Code for Smaller Authorities: what to publish and by when
The seven things a parish council with a turnover under £25,000 must publish online, the deadline for each, and what larger councils publish instead.
25 October 2026
The AGAR explained: the annual return timetable for a small council
What the Annual Governance and Accountability Return is, who has to complete which sections, the 30 June and 30 September deadlines, the period for public rights, and what the exemption certificate means.
25 October 2026

Online

Getting a .gov.uk domain for a parish council: eligibility, cost and the steps
Parish, town and community councils can have a .gov.uk domain. Who applies, how the name is chosen, what an approved registrar charges, how long it takes, and what to do with the old address.
25 October 2026
Why every councillor needs a council email address, and how to set it up
Personal email for council business creates data protection and freedom of information problems the council can't control. What good practice looks like, what it costs, and how to handle the May changeover.
25 October 2026
The accessibility regulations for parish councils, in plain English
What the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018 ask of a parish council website, what's exempt, what an accessibility statement has to say, and the one problem that fails most council sites.
25 October 2026