Council Procedures

45 articles

Agendas - Including enough information - Longfield Parish Council v Wright (1918)

Details of the case 09 Nov 1918 Longfield PC v Wright, Kent Messenger Longfield PC v Walter Wright,…

Borrowing and loans for parish and town councils

The Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) was a statutory government body that originated in 1793 and beca…

Burial Grounds, Cemeteries and Churchyards - Gravestones and Memorial testing and the Guidance

Burial ground operators should have systems in place to control the risks from memorials to their e…

Clearing snow and ice

Clearing snow and ice from pavements yourself There's no law stopping you from clearing snow and ic…

Confidential minutes

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Dealing with correspondence

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Election as a parish /town councillor and co-option criteria and disqualification as a Councillor

Election as a Parish/ Town Councillor and criteria to be checked prior to co-option & disqualificat…

General Power of Competence (GPoC)

The conditions for eligibility are set out in the Statutory Instrument, Parish Councils (General Po…

Handling harassment, abuse and intimidation

A pressing concern facing those in public office is the increasing levels of intimidation, harassme…

Helpful Hints for the Chair of the Council

Helpful hints for the Chair of the Council Congratulations on your election as Chair of your Counci…

Historic Footpaths

Rush to get historic public rights of way registered is underway The Deregulation Act 2015 received…

How Your Local Council Works

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Informal co-option of district cllrs

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Items to be dealt with by full council

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Key Facts B. Exclusion of the public

In most circumstances, the press and public will be entitled to attend meetings of a parish council…

Key Facts D. Quorum

Meetings of Parish and Town Councils cannot proceed if there are insufficient councillors present t…

Key Facts E. Public Participation

It is good practice for councils to set aside a period for public participation (15 or 20 minutes)…

Key Facts F. Role of the Clerk

It is normal for a member of staff, usually the Clerk, to take minutes of meetings. In the absence…

Key Facts G. Managing Standing Orders

It is recommended that local councils have, as a minimum, standing orders that set out the relevant…

Key Facts H. The Rules of Debate

The rules of debate at a meeting are designed to ensure that councillors have an opportunity to spe…

Key Facts I. Annual Meetings of the Council

In a year of ordinary local council elections, the annual meeting of the council must take place on…

Key Facts J. Annual Parish Meeting

All parish/towns must hold an annual assembly of the parish/town. The annual parish meeting is an e…

Key Facts K. Extraordinary Council Meetings

An ordinary meeting is a scheduled meeting convened by the council’s Proper Officer. Schedule 12, L…

Key Facts L. The Role of the Chair

The role of the Chair of a meeting is to keep order and control the meeting in accordance with stan…

Key Facts M. Interests

The Localism Act 2011 ('2011 Act') introduced arrangements to regulate the conduct of members of lo…

Key Facts N. Minutes

Council meetings are business meetings and should be focussed on achieving corporate decisions. Min…

Key Facts: A. Agendas and Minutes

A. Parish council meetings are subject to statutory requirements that govern how they must be conve…

Legal Topic Notes

This is a list of the Legal Topic Notes published by NALC that you can find in the Legal Topic Note…

Licensing laws explained

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List of council policy and procedural documents

A document showing the minimum statutory requirements and the recommended documents that a local co…

Local council ownership and protection of common land and village greens

NALC Advice Note - 30 Sep 2024 Local council ownership and protection of common land and village gr…

Meetings to be held in person and open to public

A requirement that a meeting under the Local Government Act 1972 is to be "open to the public" or "…

Model Standing Orders 2018 (England)

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Planning

What is Planning? “the carrying out of building, engineering, mining or other operations in, on, ov…

Pre-election Period of Sensitivity - General Election issued May 2024

Pre-election Period of Sensitivity The period until the General Election on 4 th July 2024 all pari…

Preparing a Grants or Loans Strategy

We continue to have queries at the office relating to the problems members experience when issuing…

Setting up a youth council

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Vote of 'No Confidence' in the Chair

Any vote of confidence will be advisory only with no legal effect because the law states that the C…

Vote of 'no confidence' in the Chair/ Mayor

A frequent question that is often put to LALC is if the parish / town council can pass a motion of…

Wind Farm Developments Practice Guidance Note

Practice Guidance Note Local Councils and Applications for Wind Farm Developments 1. Summary 2. Res…