Brill Common and Walks Policy
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Standing Orders
Contents
Rules of debate at meetings
Disorderly conduct at meetings
Meetings generally
Committees and sub-committees
Ordinary council meetings
Extraordinary meetings of the council, committees and sub-committees
Previous resolutions
Voting on appointments
Motions for a meeting that require written notice to be given to the proper officer
Motions at a meeting that do not require written notice
Management of information
Draft minutes
Code of conduct and dispensations
Code of conduct complaints
Proper officer
Responsible financial officer
Accounts and accounting statements
Financial controls and procurement
Handling staff matters
Responsibilities to provide information
Responsibilities under data protection legislation
Relations with the press/media
Execution and sealing of legal deeds
Communicating with district and county or unitary councillors
Restrictions on councillor activities
Council rules (standing orders) generally
Introduction
These ‘parish council rules’ are based on the National Association of Local Council (NALC) model standing orders revised in 2020. The paragraphs that are in bold type contain legal and statutory requirements. Paragraphs not in bold are those rules we have chosen to adopt. For convenience, the word “councillor” is used in the rules and, unless the context suggests otherwise, includes a non-councillor with or without voting rights.
1.Rules of debate at meetings
Motions on the agenda shall be considered in the order that they appear unless the order is changed at the discretion of the chair person of the meeting.
A motion (including an amendment) shall not be progressed unless it has been moved and seconded.
A motion on the agenda that is not moved by its proposer may be treated by the chair person of the meeting as withdrawn.
If a motion (including an amendment) has been seconded, it may be withdrawn by the proposer only with the consent of the seconder and the meeting.
An amendment is a proposal to remove or add words to a motion. It shall not negate the motion.
If an amendment to the original motion is carried, the original motion (as amended) becomes the substantive motion upon which further amendment(s) may be moved.
A councillor may move an amendment to his own motion if agreed by the meeting. If a motion has already been seconded, the amendment shall be with the consent of the seconder and the meeting.
If there is more than one amendment to an original or substantive motion, the amendments shall be moved in the order directed by the chair of the meeting.
Subject to standing order 1(k), only one amendment shall be moved and debated at a time, the order of which shall be directed by the chair of the meeting.
One or more amendments may be discussed together if the chair of the meeting considers this expedient but each amendment shall be voted upon separately.
A councillor may not move more than one amendment to an original or substantive motion.
The mover of an amendment has no right of reply at the end of debate on it.
Where a series of amendments to an original motion are carried, the mover of the original motion shall have a right of reply either at the end of debate on the first amendment or at the very end of debate on the final substantive motion immediately before it is put to the vote.
Unless permitted by the chair of the meeting, a councillor may speak once in the debate on a motion except:
to speak on an amendment moved by another councillor;
to move or speak on another amendment if the motion has been amended since he last spoke;
to make a point of order;
to give a personal explanation; or
to exercise a right of reply.During the debate on a motion, a councillor may interrupt only on a point of order or a personal explanation and the councillor who was interrupted shall stop speaking. A councillor raising a point of order shall identify the rule which is considered to have been breached or specify the other irregularity in the proceedings of the meeting.
A point of order shall be decided by the chair person of the meeting and this decision is final.
When a motion is under debate, no other motion shall be moved except:
to amend the motion;
to proceed to the next business;
to adjourn the debate;
to put the motion to a vote;
to ask a person to be no longer heard or to leave the meeting;
to refer a motion to a committee or sub-committee for consideration;
to exclude the public and press;
to adjourn the meeting; or
to suspend particular rule(s) excepting those which reflect mandatory statutory or legal requirements.Before an original or substantive motion is put to the vote, the chair person of the meeting shall be satisfied that the motion has been sufficiently debated and that the mover of the motion under debate has exercised or waived his right of reply.
2. Disorderly conduct at meetings
No person shall obstruct the transaction of business at a meeting or behave offensively or improperly. If this rule is ignored, the chair person of the meeting shall request such person(s) to moderate or improve their conduct.
If person(s) disregard the request of the chair person of the meeting to moderate or improve their conduct, any councillor or the chair person of the meeting may move that the person be no longer heard or be excluded from the meeting. The motion, if seconded, shall be put to the vote without discussion.
3. Meetings generally : full council meetings
Meetings shall not take place in premises which at the time of the meeting are used for the supply of alcohol, unless no other premises are available free of charge or at a reasonable cost.
The minimum three clear days for notice of a meeting does not include the day on which notice was issued, the day of the meeting, a Sunday, a day of the Christmas break, a day of the Easter break or of a bank holiday or a day appointed for public thanksgiving or mourning.
The minimum three clear days’ public notice for a meeting does not include the day on which the notice was issued or the day of the meeting unless the meeting is convened at shorter notice.
Meetings shall be open to the public unless their presence is prejudicial to the public interest by reason of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted or for other special reasons. The public’s exclusion from part or all of a meeting shall be by a resolution which shall give reasons for the public’s exclusion.
Members of the public may make representations, answer questions and give evidence at a meeting which they are entitled to attend in respect of the business on the agenda.
In accordance with standing order 3(e), a question shall not require a response at the meeting nor start a debate on the question. The chair person of the meeting may direct that a written or oral response be given.
A person who speaks at a meeting shall direct their comments to the chair person of the meeting.
Only one person is permitted to speak at a time. If more than one person wants to speak, the chair person of the meeting shall direct the order of speaking.
Subject to standing order 3(m), a person who attends a meeting is permitted to report on the meeting whilst the meeting is open to the public. To “report” means to film, photograph, make an audio recording of meeting proceedings, use any other means for enabling persons not present to see or hear the meeting as it takes place or later or to report or to provide oral or written commentary about the meeting so that the report or commentary is available as the meeting takes place or later to persons not present.
A person present at a meeting may not provide an oral report or oral commentary about a meeting as it takes place without permission.
The press shall be provided with reasonable facilities for the taking of their report of all or part of a meeting at which they are entitled to be present.
Subject to Brill Parish Council rules which indicate otherwise, anything authorised or required to be done by, to or before the Chair Person of the Council may in their absence be done by, to or before the Vice-Chair Person of the Council (if there is one).
The Chair Person of the Council, if present, shall preside at a meeting. If the Chair Person is absent from a meeting, the Vice-Chair Person of the Council (if there is one) if present, shall preside. If both the Chair Person and the Vice-Chair Person are absent from a meeting, a councillor as chosen by the councillors present at the meeting shall preside at the meeting.
Subject to a meeting being quorate, all questions at a meeting shall be decided by a majority of the councillors and non-councillors with voting rights present and voting.
The Chair Person of a meeting may give an original vote on any matter put to the vote, and in the case of an equality of votes may exercise their casting vote whether or not they gave an original vote.
See standing orders 5(h) and (i) for the different rules that apply in the election of the Chairman of the Council at the annual meeting of the Council.
Unless the rules provide otherwise, voting on a question shall be by a show of hands. At the request of a councillor, the voting on any question shall be recorded so as to show whether each councillor present and voting gave his vote for or against that question. Such a request shall be made before moving on to the next item of business on the agenda.
The minutes of a meeting shall include an accurate record of the following:
the time and place of the meeting;
the names of councillors who are present and the names of councillors who are absent;
interests that have been declared by councillors and non-councillors with voting rights;
the grant of dispensations (if any) to councillors and non-councillors with voting rights;
whether a councillor or non-councillor with voting rights left the meeting when matters that they held interests in were being considered;
if there was a public participation session; and
the resolutions made.A councillor or a non-councillor with voting rights who has a disclosable pecuniary interest or another interest as set out in the Council’s code of conduct in a matter being considered at a meeting is subject to statutory limitations or restrictions under the code on their right to participate and vote on that matter.
No business may be transacted at a meeting unless at least one-third of the whole number of members of the Council are present and in no case shall the quorum of a meeting be less than three.
If a meeting is or becomes inquorate no business shall be transacted and the meeting shall be closed. The business on the agenda for the meeting shall be adjourned to another meeting.
4. Committees and sub-committees
Unless the Council determines otherwise, a committee may appoint a sub-committee whose terms of reference and members shall be determined by the committee.
The members of a committee may include non-councillors unless it is a committee which regulates and controls the finances of the Council.
Unless the Council determines otherwise, all the members of an advisory committee and a sub-committee of the advisory committee may be non-councillors.
5. Ordinary council meetings
In an election year, the annual meeting of the Council shall be held on or within 14 days following the day on which the councillors elected take office.
In a year which is not an election year, the annual meeting of the Council shall be held on such day in May as the Council decides.
If no other time is fixed, the annual meeting of the Council shall take place at 6pm.
In addition to the annual meeting of the Council, at least three other ordinary meetings shall be held in each year on such dates and times as the Council decides.
The first business conducted at the annual meeting of the Council shall be the election of the Chair Person and Vice-Chair Person (if there is one) of the Council.
The Chair Person of the Council, unless they have resigned or become disqualified, shall continue in office and preside at the annual meeting until the successor is elected at the next annual meeting of the Council.
The Chair Person should ideally serve no longer than 2 years so that others get the opportunity to chair and the workload is shared.
The Vice-Chair Person of the Council, if there is one, unless they resign or become disqualified, shall hold office until immediately after the election of the Chair Person of the Council at the next annual meeting of the Council.
In an election year, if the current Chair Person of the Council has not been re-elected as a member of the Council, they shall preside at the annual meeting until a successor Chair Person of the Council has been elected. The current Chair Person of the Council shall not have an original vote in respect of the election of the new Chair Person of the Council but shall give a casting vote in the case of an equality of votes.
In an election year, if the current Chair Person of the Council has been re-elected as a member of the Council, they shall preside at the annual meeting until a new Chair Person of the Council has been elected. They may exercise an original vote in respect of the election of the new Chair Person of the Council and shall give a casting vote in the case of an equality of votes.
Following the election of the Chair Person of the Council and Vice-Chair Person (if there is one) of the Council at the annual meeting, the business shall include:
In an election year, delivery by the Chair Person of the Council and councillors of their acceptance of office forms unless the Council resolves for this to be done at a later date. In a year which is not an election year, delivery by the Chair Person of the Council of their acceptance of office form unless the Council resolves for this to be done at a later date;
Confirmation of the accuracy of the minutes of the last meeting of the Council;
Receipt of the minutes of the last meeting of a committee;
Consideration of the recommendations made by a committee;
Review of delegation arrangements to committees, sub-committees, staff and other local authorities;
Review of the terms of reference for committees;
Appointment of members to existing committees;
Appointment of any new committees in accordance with standing order 4;
Review and adoption of appropriate rules and financial regulations;
Review of arrangements (including legal agreements) with other local authorities, not-for-profit bodies and businesses.
Review of representation on or work with external bodies and arrangements for reporting back;
In an election year, to make arrangements with a view to the Council becoming eligible to exercise the general power of competence in the future;
Review of inventory of land and other assets including buildings and office equipment;
Confirmation of arrangements for insurance cover in respect of all insurable risks;
Review of the Council’s and/or staff subscriptions to other bodies;
Review of the Council’s complaints procedure;
Review of the Council’s policies, procedures and practices in respect of its obligations under freedom of information and data protection legislation (see also standing orders 11, 20 and 21);
Review of the Council’s policy for dealing with the press/media;
Review of the Council’s employment policies and procedures;
Review of the Council’s expenditure incurred under s.137 of the Local Government Act 1972 or the general power of competence.
Determining the time and place of ordinary meetings of the Council up to and including the next annual meeting of the Council.
6. Extraordinary meetings of the council, committees and sub-committees
The Chair Person of the Council may convene an extraordinary meeting of the Council at any time.
If the Chair Person of the Council does not call an extraordinary meeting of the Council within seven days of having been requested in writing to do so by two councillors, any two councillors may convene an extraordinary meeting of the Council. The public notice giving the time, place and agenda for such a meeting shall be signed by the two councillors.
The Chair Person of a committee [or a sub-committee] may convene an extraordinary meeting of the committee [or the sub-committee] at any time.
7. Previous resolutions
A resolution shall not be reversed within three months unless significant new or relevant information is received at a subsequent meeting.
8. Voting on appointments
Where more than two persons have been nominated for a position to be filled by the Council and none of those persons has received an absolute majority of votes in their favour, the name of the person having the least number of votes shall be struck off the list and a fresh vote taken. This process shall continue until a majority of votes is given in favour of one person. A tie in votes may be settled by the casting vote exercisable by the chair of the meeting.
9. Motions for a meeting that require written notice to be given to the proper officer
A motion shall relate to the responsibilities of the meeting for which it is tabled and in any event shall relate to the performance of the Council’s statutory functions, powers and obligations or an issue which specifically affects the Council’s area or its residents.
No motion may be moved at a meeting unless it is on the agenda.
If the wording or subject of a proposed motion is considered improper, the Proper Officer shall consult with the chair or, as the case may be, the councillors who have convened the meeting, to consider whether the motion shall be included in the agenda or rejected.
The decision of the Proper Officer as to whether or not to include the motion on the agenda shall be final.
Motions received shall be recorded and numbered in the order that they are received.
Motions rejected shall be recorded with an explanation by the Proper Officer of the reason for rejection.
10. Motions at a meeting that do not require written notice
The following motions may be moved at a meeting without written notice to the Proper Officer:
to correct an inaccuracy in the draft minutes of a meeting;
to move to a vote;
to defer consideration of a motion;
to refer a motion to a particular committee or sub-committee;
to appoint a person to preside at a meeting;
to change the order of business on the agenda;
to proceed to the next business on the agenda;
to require a written report;
to appoint a committee or sub-committee and their members;
to extend the time limits for speaking;
to exclude the press and public from a meeting in respect of confidential or other information which is prejudicial to the public interest;
to not hear further from a councillor or a member of the public;
to exclude a councillor or member of the public for disorderly conduct;
to temporarily suspend the meeting;
to suspend a particular council rule (unless it reflects mandatory statutory or legal requirements);
to adjourn the meeting;
to close the meeting.
11. Management of information
See also standing order 20.
The Council shall have in place and keep under review, technical and organisational measures to keep secure information (including personal data) which it holds in paper and electronic form. Such arrangements shall include deciding who has access to personal data and encryption of personal data.
The Council shall have in place, and keep under review, policies for the retention and safe destruction of all information (including personal data) which it holds in paper and electronic form. The Council’s retention policy shall confirm the period for which information (including personal data) shall be retained or if this is not possible the criteria used to determine that period (e.g. the Limitation Act 1980).
The agenda, papers that support the agenda and the minutes of a meeting shall not disclose or otherwise undermine confidential information or personal data without legal justification.
Councillors, staff, the Council’s contractors and agents shall not disclose confidential information or personal data without legal justification.
12. Draft minutes (full council meetings, committee meetings, sub-committee meetings)
If the draft minutes of a preceding meeting have been served on councillors with the agenda to attend the meeting at which they are due to be approved for accuracy, they shall be taken as read.
There shall be no discussion about the draft minutes of a preceding meeting except in relation to their accuracy. A motion to correct an inaccuracy in the draft minutes shall be moved in accordance with standing order 10(a)(i).
The accuracy of draft minutes, including any amendment(s) made to them, shall be confirmed by resolution and shall be signed by the chair of the meeting and stand as an accurate record of the meeting to which the minutes relate.
If the Chair Person of the meeting does not consider the minutes to be an accurate record of the meeting to which they relate, they shall sign the minutes and include a paragraph in the following terms or to the same effect:
“The Chair Person of this meeting does not believe that the minutes of the meeting of the ( ) held on [date] in respect of ( ) were a correct record but this view was not upheld by the meeting and the minutes are confirmed as an accurate record of the proceedings.”
If the Council’s gross annual income or expenditure (whichever is higher) does not exceed £25,000, it shall publish draft minutes on a website which is publicly accessible and free of charge not later than one month after the meeting has taken place.
Subject to the publication of draft minutes in accordance with standing order 12(e) and standing order 20(a) and following a resolution which confirms the accuracy of the minutes of a meeting, the draft minutes or recordings of the meeting for which approved minutes exist shall be destroyed.
13. Code of conduct and dispensations
See also standing order 3(u).
All councillors and non-councillors with voting rights shall observe the Code of Conduct adopted by the Council.
Unless granted a dispensation, a councillor or non-councillor with voting rights shall withdraw from a meeting when it is considering a matter in which they have a disclosable pecuniary (financial) interest. They may return to the meeting after it has considered the matter in which they had the interest.
Unless granted a dispensation, a councillor or non-councillor with voting rights shall withdraw from a meeting when it is considering a matter in which they have another interest if so required by the Council’s code of conduct. They may return to the meeting after it has considered the matter in which they had the interest.
Dispensation requests shall be in writing and submitted to the Proper Officer as soon as possible before the meeting, or failing that, at the start of the meeting for which the dispensation is required.
A decision as to whether to grant a dispensation shall be made [by the Proper Officer] OR [by a meeting of the Council, or committee or sub-committee for which the dispensation is required] and that decision is final.
A dispensation request shall confirm:
the description and the nature of the disclosable pecuniary interest or other interest to which the request for the dispensation relates;
whether the dispensation is required to participate at a meeting in a discussion only or a discussion and a vote;
the date of the meeting or the period (not exceeding four years) for which the dispensation is sought; and
an explanation as to why the dispensation is sought.Subject to standing orders 13(d) and (f), a dispensation request shall be considered [by the Proper Officer before the meeting or, if this is not possible, at the start of the meeting for which the dispensation is required] OR [at the beginning of the meeting of the Council, or committee or sub-committee for which the dispensation is required].
A dispensation may be granted in accordance with standing order 13(e) if having regard to all relevant circumstances any of the following apply:
without the dispensation the number of persons prohibited from participating in the particular business would be so great a proportion of the meeting transacting the business as to impede the transaction of the business;
granting the dispensation is in the interests of persons living in the Council’s area; or
it is otherwise appropriate to grant a dispensation.
14. Code of conduct complaints
Upon notification by the District or Unitary Council that it is dealing with a complaint that a councillor or non-councillor with voting rights has breached the Council’s code of conduct, the Proper Officer shall, subject to standing order 11, report this to the Council.
Where the notification in standing order 14(a) relates to a complaint made by the Proper Officer, the Proper Officer shall notify the Chair Person of Council of this fact, and the Chair Person shall nominate another staff member to assume the duties of the Proper Officer in relation to the complaint until it has been determined and the Council has agreed what action, if any, to take in accordance with standing order 14(d).
The Council may:
provide information or evidence where such disclosure is necessary to investigate the complaint or is a legal requirement;
seek information relevant to the complaint from the person or body with statutory responsibility for investigation of the matter;Upon notification by the District or Unitary Council that a councillor or non-councillor with voting rights has breached the Council’s Code of Conduct, the Council shall consider what, if any, action to take against him. Such action excludes disqualification or suspension from office.
The Proper Officer shall be either (i) the clerk or (ii) other staff member(s) nominated by the Council to undertake the work of the Proper Officer when the Proper Officer is absent.
The Proper Officer shall:
At least three clear days before a meeting of the council, a committee or a sub-committee:
serve on councillors by delivery or post at their residences or by email authenticated in such manner as the Proper Officer thinks fit, a signed summons confirming the time, place and the agenda (provided the councillor has consented to service by email), and
Provide, in a conspicuous place, public notice of the time, place and agenda (provided that the public notice with agenda of an extraordinary meeting of the Council convened by councillors is signed by them).
See standing order 3(b) for the meaning of clear days for a meeting of a full council and standing order 3(c) for the meaning of clear days for a meeting of a committee;convene a meeting of the Council for the election of a new Chair Person of the Council, occasioned by a casual vacancy in office;
facilitate inspection of the minute book/online record by local government electors;
receive and retain copies of byelaws made by other local authorities;
hold acceptance of office forms from councillors;
hold a copy of every councillor’s register of interests;
assist with responding to requests made under freedom of information legislation and rights exercisable under data protection legislation, in accordance with the Council’s relevant policies and procedures;
liaise, as appropriate, with the Council’s Data Protection Officer (if there is one);
receive and send general correspondence and notices on behalf of the Council except where there is a resolution to the contrary;
assist in the organisation of, storage of, access to, security of and destruction of information held by the Council in paper and electronic form subject to the requirements of data protection and freedom of information legislation and other legitimate requirements (e.g. the Limitation Act 1980);
arrange for legal deeds to be executed;
(see also standing order 23);arrange or manage the prompt authorisation, approval, and instruction regarding any payments to be made by the Council in accordance with its financial regulations;
record every planning application notified to the Council and the Council’s response to the local planning authority in a book for such purpose;
refer a planning application received by the Council to the councillors within two working days of receipt to facilitate an extraordinary meeting if the nature of a planning application requires consideration before the next ordinary meeting of the Council.
manage access to information about the Council via the publication scheme; and
retain custody of the seal of the Council (if there is one) which shall not be used without a resolution to that effect.
(see also standing order 23).
16. Responsible financial officer
The Council shall appoint appropriate staff member(s) to undertake the work of the Responsible Financial Officer when the Responsible Financial Officer is absent.
17. Accounts and accounting statements
“Proper practices” in standing orders refer to the most recent version of Governance and Accountability for Local Councils – a Practitioners’ Guide.
All payments by the Council shall be authorised, approved and paid in accordance with the law, proper practices and the Council’s financial regulations.
The Responsible Financial Officer shall supply to each councillor as soon as practicable after 30 June, 30 September and 31 December in each year a statement to summarise:
the Council’s receipts and payments (or income and expenditure) for each quarter;
the Council’s aggregate receipts and payments (or income and expenditure) for the year to date;
the balances held at the end of the quarter being reported and
which includes a comparison with the budget for the financial year and highlights any actual or potential overspends.As soon as possible after the financial year end at 31 March, the Responsible Financial Officer shall provide:
each councillor with a statement summarising the Council’s receipts and payments (or income and expenditure) for the last quarter and the year to date for information; and
to the Council the accounting statements for the year in the form of Section 2 of the annual governance and accountability return, as required by proper practices, for consideration and approval.The year-end accounting statements shall be prepared in accordance with proper practices and apply the form of accounts determined by the Council (receipts and payments, or income and expenditure) for the year to 31 March. A completed draft annual governance and accountability return shall be presented to all councillors at least 14 days prior to anticipated approval by the Council. The annual governance and accountability return of the Council, which is subject to external audit, including the annual governance statement, shall be presented to the Council for consideration and formal approval before 30 June.
18. Financial controls and procurement
The Council shall consider and approve financial regulations drawn up by the Responsible Financial Officer, which shall include detailed arrangements in respect of the following:
the keeping of accounting records and systems of internal controls;
the assessment and management of financial risks faced by the Council;
the work of the independent internal auditor in accordance with proper practices and the receipt of regular reports from the internal auditor, which shall be required at least annually;
the inspection and copying by councillors and local electors of the Council’s accounts and/or orders of payments.Financial regulations shall be reviewed regularly and at least annually for fitness of purpose.
A public contract regulated by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 with an estimated value in excess of £25,000 but less than the relevant thresholds in standing order 18(f) is subject to Regulations 109-114 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 which include a requirement on the Council to advertise the contract opportunity on the Contracts Finder website regardless of what other means it uses to advertise the opportunity unless it proposes to use an existing list of approved suppliers (framework agreement).
Subject to additional requirements in the financial regulations of the Council, the tender process for contracts for the supply of goods, materials, services or the execution of works shall include, as a minimum, the following steps:
a specification for the goods, materials, services or the execution of works shall be drawn up;
an invitation to tender shall be drawn up to confirm (i) the Council’s specification (ii) the time, date and address for the submission of tenders (iii) the date of the Council’s written response to the tender and (iv) the prohibition on prospective contractors contacting councillors or staff to encourage or support their tender outside the prescribed process;
the invitation to tender shall be advertised in a local newspaper and in any other manner that is appropriate;
tenders are to be submitted in writing in a sealed marked envelope addressed to the Proper Officer;
tenders shall be opened by the Proper Officer in the presence of at least one councillor after the deadline for submission of tenders has passed;
tenders are to be reported to and considered by the appropriate meeting of the Council or a committee or sub-committee with delegated responsibility.Neither the Council, nor a committee or a sub-committee with delegated responsibility for considering tenders, is bound to accept the lowest value tender.
A public contract regulated by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 with an estimated value in excess of £189,330 for a public service or supply contract or in excess of £4,733,252 for a public works contract; or £663,540 for a social and other specific services contract (or other thresholds determined by the European Commission every two years and published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU)) shall comply with the relevant procurement procedures and other requirements in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 which include advertising the contract opportunity on the Contracts Finder website and in OJEU.
A public contract in connection with the supply of gas, heat, electricity, drinking water, transport services, or postal services to the public; or the provision of a port or airport; or the exploration for or extraction of gas, oil or solid fuel with an estimated value in excess of £378,660 for a supply, services or design contract; or in excess of £4,733,252 for a works contract; or £663,540 for a social and other specific services contract (or other thresholds determined by the European Commission every two years and published in OJEU) shall comply with the relevant procurement procedures and other requirements in the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016.
FOUR councillors can approve (time-sensitive) spending between meetings, of up to £1000. Orders will ordinarily be placed by the Clerk or a designated councillor.
If cost exceeds or is likely to exceed £1000, the council will get THREE quotes for the proposed works.
19. Handling staff matters
A matter personal to a member of staff that is being considered by a meeting of council or one of its committees is subject to standing order 11.
Subject to the Council’s policy regarding absences from work, the Council’s most senior member of staff shall notify the chair of the council or committee or, if they are not available, the vice-chair (if there is one) of absence occasioned by illness or other reason and that person shall report such absence to council or committee at its next meeting.
The chair or in their absence, the vice-chair shall upon a resolution conduct a review of the performance and annual appraisal of the work of [the member of staff’s job title]. The reviews and appraisal shall be reported in writing and are subject to approval by resolution by the council or committee.
Subject to the Council’s policy regarding the handling of grievance matters, the Council’s most senior member of staff shall contact the chair or vice chair in respect of an informal or formal grievance matter, and this matter shall be reported back and progressed by resolution of the council.
Subject to the Council’s policy regarding the handling of grievance matters, if an informal or formal grievance matter raised by the clerk relates to the chair or vice-chair of the council, this shall be communicated to another member of the council, which shall be reported back and progressed by resolution of the council.
Any persons responsible for all or part of the management of staff shall treat as confidential the written records of all meetings relating to their performance, capabilities, grievance or disciplinary matters.
In accordance with standing order 11(a), persons with line management responsibilities shall have access to staff records referred to in standing order 19(f).
20. Responsibilities to provide information
See also standing order 21.
In accordance with freedom of information legislation, the Council shall publish information in accordance with its publication scheme and respond to requests for information held by the Council.
[If gross annual income or expenditure (whichever is higher) does not exceed £25,000] The Council shall publish information in accordance with the requirements of the Smaller Authorities (Transparency Requirements) (England) Regulations 2015
OR
[If gross annual income or expenditure (whichever is the higher) exceeds £200,000] The Council, shall publish information in accordance with the requirements of the Local Government (Transparency Requirements) (England) Regulations 2015.
21. Responsibilities under data protection legislation
Below is not an exclusive list. See also standing order 11.
The Council may appoint a Data Protection Officer.
The Council shall have policies and procedures in place to respond to an individual exercising statutory rights concerning his personal data.
The Council shall have a written policy in place for responding to and managing a personal data breach.
The Council shall keep a record of all personal data breaches comprising the facts relating to the personal data breach, its effects and the remedial action taken.
The Council shall ensure that information communicated in its privacy notice(s) is in an easily accessible and available form and kept up to date.
The Council shall maintain a written record of its processing activities.
22. Relations with the press/media
Requests from the press or other media for an oral or written comment or statement from the Council, its councillors or staff shall be handled in accordance with the Council’s policy in respect of dealing with the press and/or other media.
23. Execution and sealing of legal deeds
See also standing orders 15(b)(xii) and (xvii).
A legal deed shall not be executed on behalf of the Council unless authorised by a resolution.
[Subject to standing order 23(a), the Council’s common seal shall alone be used for sealing a deed required by law. It shall be applied by the Proper Officer in the presence of two councillors who shall sign the deed as witnesses.]
The above is applicable to a Council with a common seal.
OR
[Subject to standing order 23(a), any two councillors may sign, on behalf of the Council, any deed required by law and the Proper Officer shall witness their signatures.]
The above is applicable to a Council without a common seal.
24. Communicating with district and county or unitary councillors
An invitation to attend a meeting of the Council shall be sent, together with the agenda, to the ward councillor(s) of the District and County Council OR Unitary Council representing the area of the Council.
Unless the Council determines otherwise, a copy of each letter sent to the District and County Council OR Unitary Council shall be sent to the ward councillor(s) representing the area of the Council.
25. Restrictions on councillor activities
Unless duly authorised no councillor shall:
inspect any land and/or premises which the Council has a right or duty to inspect; or
issue orders, instructions or directions.
26. Council rules (standing orders) generally
All or part of a council rule, except one that incorporates mandatory statutory or legal requirements, may be suspended by resolution in relation to the consideration of an item on the agenda for a meeting.
A motion to add to or vary or revoke one or more of the Council’s rules, except one that incorporates mandatory statutory or legal requirements, shall be proposed by a special motion.
The Proper Officer shall provide a copy of the Council’s rules to a councillor as soon as possible.
The decision of the chair of a meeting as to the application of council rules at the meeting shall be final.
These Standing Order accepted by on-coming Parish Council at their meeting May 27th 2025
Code of Conduct
Read Brill Parish Council’s Code of Conduct (pdf opens in new window)
If you cannot access this document or require further help, please contact the Parish Council.
Safeguarding Policy
Introduction
Although the Parish Council does not directly provide care or services to children and vulnerable adults, the Council is committed to ensuring that these members of our community are protected and kept safe from harm while they are engaged in any activity taking place on Council-owned property or otherwise associated with the Council.
Furthermore, the Clerk and Councillors also recognises that, as respected and empowered community leaders, they have a wider responsibility to recognise and act upon suspected, witnessed or disclosed abuse.
Types of abuse
physical: being hit or injured on purpose
financial: theft or misuse of money, property or possessions
sexual: involvement in a sexual activity which is unwanted or not understood
neglect: not providing food, clothing, attention or care
emotional: the use of threats, fear or bribes which cause distress
People most at risk
people who are dependent on others
people with mental health problems
people with learning, sensory or physical disabilities
people who are socially isolated
people with dementia
Policy objectives
To protect children and vulnerable adults from harm and enable them to participate safely in community life.
To help Councillors and others associated with the Council understand when and how to raise safeguarding concerns, including reporting to the relevant authorities.
Safeguarding Lead
A named Safeguarding Lead will be appointed by the Council from amongst the Councillors. The Lead’s responsibilities will include:
Ensuring that the Clerk and fellow Councillors understand the objectives and procedures outlined in the Policy
Sharing information about safeguarding and related good practice with Councillors, partner organisations, volunteers, and the public
Signposting to training for members of the Council, community groups, and the public
Supporting and guiding members of the Council concerned about abuse
Procedures
All member of Brill Parish Council will be proactive in providing a safe environment for children and vulnerable people who are involved in activities associated with the Council, or taking place in facilities owned by the Council
If an organisation working with children or vulnerable adults wishes to use Council owned facilities, they will be asked to provide a copy of their Safeguarding Policy
If a contractor working directly for the Council is working in an area where children or vulnerable adults may be present, they will be asked to provide a copy of their Safeguarding Policy.
It is highly recommended that Clerk and Councillors, as responsible community leaders, complete basic training (1) covering the following areas: relevant legislation; avoiding allegations; reporting concerns; types of abuse; responding to abuse; resources and support
If the Clerk or Councillors plan to interact with children or vulnerable adults in the course of their duties (e.g. talking with school children, or helping at a community event for vulnerable elderly people) they should:
Ensure that parents, teachers or carers are present
Work in pairs or within sight of another adult
Avoid physical contact and care of a personal nature
Follow guidance provided by other bodies involved (i.e. the school or charity) and comply with all statutory requirements (e.g. for training or DBS checks)
Report any incidents, allegations or other concerns to the Safeguarding Lead who will then help decide what to do next (2)
Notes
(1) Training provided by Community Impact Bucks https://communityimpactbucks.org.uk/safeguarding-support-for-voluntary-groups/#principles-of-safeguarding-training
(2) If you are concerned about a child or young person under the age of 18, call Buckinghamshire Council’s First Response Team on 01296 383962 (Mon-Fri) or 0800 999 7677 (out of hours) or the police.
If you are concerned about an adult, email safeguardingadults@buckinghamshire.gov.uk or call 01296 387021 to speak to the adult social care team.
Outside these hours, you can:
call our Emergency Duty Team on 0800 999 7677
or leave a message on the First Response answerphone
or call the police on 999
This policy
Policy written by Hannah Hulme Hunter February 2022
Adopted as Brill Parish Council policy February 2022
For Review February 2023 (although as a working document it may be refined earlier to meet changing legal or practical requirements)
Privacy Notice
What is Your personal data?
Personal data is any information about a living individual which allows them to be identified from that data (for example, a name, photographs, videos, email address, street address). Identification can be directly using the data itself or by combining it with other information which helps to identify a living individual. The processing of personal data is governed by legislation relating to personal data which applies in the United Kingdom including the General Data Protection Regulation (the GDPR) and other legislation relating to personal data and rights such as the Human Rights Act.
This Privacy Notice is provided to you by Brill Parish Council which is the data controller for your data. It describes what personal data Brill Parish Council processes, and for what purposes.
What is the legal basis for processing your personal data?
Brill Parish Council is a public authority and has certain powers and obligations. Most of your personal data is processed for compliance with a legal obligation which includes the discharge of the council’s statutory functions and powers. Sometimes when exercising these powers or duties it is necessary to process personal data of residents or people using the council’s services. We will always take into account your interests and rights.
This Privacy Notice sets out your rights and the council’s obligations to you.
What personal data do we process?
The council will process some or all of the following personal data where necessary to perform its tasks:
Names, titles, and aliases, photographs
Contact details such as telephone numbers, street addresses, email addresses
Where they are relevant to the services provided by a council, or where you provide them to us, we may process information such as gender, age, marital status, nationality, education/work history, academic/professional qualifications, hobbies, family composition, and dependants.
How we use sensitive personal data
We may occasionally process sensitive personal data including, as appropriate, information regarding your health, your racial or ethnic origin or religious or similar information in order to monitor compliance with equal opportunities legislation or to comply with legal requirements and obligations to third parties. These types of data are described in the GDPR as “Special categories of data” and require higher levels of protection. We need to have further justification for collecting, storing and using this type of personal data.
In limited circumstances, we may approach you for your written consent to allow us to process certain sensitive personal data. If we do so, we will provide you with full details of the personal data that we would like and the reason we need it, so that you can carefully consider whether you wish to consent.
Less commonly, we may process this type of personal data where it is needed in relation to legal claims or where it is needed to protect your interests (or someone else’s interests) and you are not capable of giving your consent, or where you have already made the information public.
How do we use your personal data?
To send you communications which you have requested and that may be of interest to you. These may include information about events, services, campaigns, appeals, other new projects or initiatives.
To process relevant financial transactions including grants and payments for goods and services supplied to the council.
To enable the statistical analysis of data so we can plan the provision of services. Our processing may also include the use of CCTV systems for the prevention and prosecution of crime.
We may process personal data if it is necessary for the performance of a contract with you, or to take steps to enter into a contract. An example of this would be processing your data in connection with the use of sports facilities, or the acceptance of an allotment garden tenancy. Sometimes the use of your personal data requires your consent. We will first obtain your consent to that use.
Sharing your personal data
This section provides information about the third parties with whom the council may share your personal data. These third parties have an obligation to put in place appropriate security measures and will be responsible to you directly for the manner in which they process and protect your personal data. It is likely that we will need to share your data with some or all of the following (but only where necessary):
Our primary council (Buckinghamshire Council)
Community groups
Our agents, suppliers and contractors. For example, we may ask a commercial provider to publish or distribute newsletters on our behalf, or to maintain our database software
On occasion, other local authorities or not for profit bodies with which we are carrying out joint ventures; for example, in relation to facilities or events for the community.
We may need to share your personal data we hold with these bodies so that they can carry out their responsibilities to the council. If we and the other data controllers listed above are processing your data jointly for the same purposes, then the council and the other data controllers may be “joint data controllers” which mean we are all collectively responsible to you for your data. Where each of the parties listed above is processing your data for their own independent purposes then each of us will be independently responsible to you and if you have any questions, wish to exercise any of your rights (see below) or wish to raise a complaint, you should do so directly to the relevant data controller.
How long do we keep your personal data?
We will keep some records permanently if we are legally required to do so. We may keep some other records for an extended period of time. For example, it is currently best practice to keep financial records for a minimum period of 8 years to support HMRC audits or provide tax information. We may have legal obligations to retain some data in connection with our statutory obligations as a public authority. The council is permitted to retain data in order to defend or pursue claims. In some cases, the law imposes a time limit for such claims (for example, 3 years for personal injury claims or 6 years for contract claims). We will retain some personal data for this purpose as long as we believe it is necessary to be able to defend or pursue a claim. In general, we will endeavour to keep data only for as long as we need it. This means that we will delete it when it is no longer needed.
Your rights and your personal data
You have the following rights with respect to your personal data: When exercising any of the rights listed below, in order to process your request, we may need to verify your identity for your security.
The right to access personal data we hold on you
At any point, you can contact us to request the personal data we hold on you as well as why we have that personal data, who has access to the personal data and where we obtained the personal data from. Once we have received your request we will respond within one month. There are no fees or charges for the first request but additional requests for the same personal data or requests which are manifestly unfounded or excessive may be subject to an administrative fee.
The right to correct and update the personal data we hold on you
If the data we hold on you is out of date, incomplete or incorrect, you can inform us and your data will be updated.
The right to have your personal data erased
If you feel that we should no longer be using your personal data or that we are unlawfully using your personal data, you can request that we erase the personal data we hold. When we receive your request we will confirm whether the personal data has been deleted or the reason why it cannot be deleted (for example because we need it to comply with a legal obligation).
The right to object to processing of your personal data or to restrict it to certain purposes only
You have the right to request that we stop processing your personal data or ask us to restrict processing. Upon receiving the request we will contact you and let you know if we are able to comply or if we have a legal obligation to continue to process your data.
The right to data portability
You have the right to request that we transfer some of your data to another controller. We will comply with your request, where it is feasible to do so, within one month of receiving your request.
The right to withdraw your consent to the processing at any time for any processing of data to which consent was obtained
You can withdraw your consent easily by telephone, email, or by post (see our contact details).
The right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office
You can contact the Information Commissioners Office on 0303 123 1113 or via email to https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/email/ or at the Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.
International data transfers
Information that we collect may be stored and processed in and transferred between any of the countries in which we operate in order to enable us to use the information in accordance with this privacy policy. If you are in the European Economic Area (EEA), information that you provide may be transferred to countries that do not have data protection laws equivalent to those in force in the EEA. In addition, personal information that you submit for publication on the website will be published on the internet and may be available, via the internet, around the world.
You expressly agree to such transfers of personal information.
Further processing
If we wish to use your personal data for a new purpose, not covered by this Privacy Notice, then we will provide you with a new notice explaining this new use prior to commencing the processing and setting out the relevant purposes and processing conditions. Where and whenever necessary, we will seek your prior consent to the new processing.
Website Privacy
We are committed to safeguarding the privacy of our website visitors. This policy sets out how we will treat your personal information.
What information do we collect on our website?
We may collect, store and use the following kinds of personal data:
information about your computer and about your visits to and use of this website, including your IP address, geographical location, browser type, referral source, length of visit and number of page views
any other information that you choose to send to us
Personal data submitted on this website will be used for the purposes specified in this privacy policy or in relevant parts of the website. Where you submit personal information for publication on our website, we will publish and otherwise use that information in accordance with the licence you grant to us. We will not without your express consent provide your personal information to any third parties for the purpose of direct marketing.
We will take reasonable technical and organisational precautions to prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of your personal information. However, data transmission over the internet is inherently insecure, and we cannot guarantee the security of data sent over the internet.
Cookies
A cookie consists of information sent by a web server to a web browser and stored by the browser. The information is then sent back to the server each time the browser requests a page from the server. This enables the webserver to identify and track the web browser. Cookies can identify users, remember preferences, and help users complete tasks without having to re-enter information when visiting multiple pages or returning to your site. This helps provide a more personalised and slick user experience. We may use both “session” cookies and “persistent” cookies on the website. We will use the session cookies to keep track of you whilst you navigate the website. We will use the persistent cookies to enable our website to recognise you when you visit. Session cookies will be deleted from your computer when you close your browser. Persistent cookies will remain stored on your computer until deleted, or until they reach a specified expiry date. Most internet browsers allow you to refuse to accept cookies. This will, however, have a negative impact upon the usability of many websites.
As advised on the banner pop-up notice on the foot of the Welcome page, by using our website you are consenting to the use of cookies.
Analytics
We use Squarespace Analytics to analyse the use of this website. Squarespace Analytics generates statistical and other information about website use by means of cookies, which are stored on users’ computers. The information generated relating to our website is used to create reports about the use of the website. Squarespace will store this information.
Third party websites
The website contains links to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy policies or practices of third party websites.
General
This Notice
This Notice was compiled from a template supplied by the National Association of Local Councils. It was first published on this website on November 7 2021. We may update this policy from time-to-time by posting a new version on our website. You should check this page occasionally to ensure you are happy with any changes.
Updating your information
Please let us know if the personal information which we hold about you needs to be corrected or updated.
Contact
Please contact us if you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or the personal data we hold about you or to exercise all relevant rights, queries or complaints.
Health & Safety Policy
Introduction
Brill Parish Council recognises and accepts its responsibilities as an employer for providing a safe and healthy working environment for its employee (the Clerk), Councillors, contractors, voluntary helpers, and others who may be affected by the activities of the Council.
The Council will meet its responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and will provide, as far as it is reasonably practicable, the resources necessary to fulfil this commitment.
The Council will seek, as and when appropriate, expert technical advice on Health and Safety to assist the Clerk in fulfilling the Council’s responsibilities for ensuring safe working conditions.
Brill Parish Council will, as far as reasonably practicable, provide:
A safe place of work and a safe working environment for Clerk and Councillors. This includes the Parish Council Office (the Old Library), the main hall of Brill Memorial Hall, and Councillors’ and Clerk’s homes should they choose to work there.
Regular risk assessments of working activities, including:
Handling of heavy books and files, office equipment and office furniture (including outdoor noticeboards)
Use of electronic equipment and screens
Musculoskeletal wellbeing and eye care during desk work
Special requirements to accommodate physical conditions or disabilities
Need for regular breaks, daylight, fresh air, and contact with others
Brill Parish Council will, as far as reasonably practicable:
Ensure that all contractors employed by the Parish Council work to the same standards of Health and Safety which the Council sets for itself.
Ensure that members of the public are not put at risk by activities under the direct control of the Parish Council.
Ensure that members of the public visiting the Clerk in the Parish Council Office, attending Parish Council Meetings or otherwise assisting with Council business do so in conditions of safety and comfort.
Ensure, as far as possible, that Councillors and Clerk conduct walk-abouts safely and that, when driving to fulfil Council business, they do so safely and legally.
Ensure the personal safety of Councillors and Clerk when interfacing with the public, especially when doing so alone or out-of-hours.
Responsibilities
The Clerk will have over-all responsibility for Health and Safety, including record keeping. They will be supported in this role as follows:
Time and money to attend formal training according to need.
Prompt support from Councillors, individually and collectively, to listen to concerns, assist with risk assessments, and take all necessary actions.
This policy
Policy written by Hannah Hulme Hunter February 2022
Adopted as Brill Parish Council policy February 2022
For Review February 2023 (although as a working document it may be refined earlier to meet changing legal or practical requirements)
Freedom of Information Notice
Read Brill Parish Council’s Freedom of Information Notice (pdf opens in new tab)
If you cannot access this document or require further help, please contact the Parish Council.
Equality & Diversity Policy
Introduction
Brill Parish Council is committed to providing equal opportunities in employment and to avoiding unlawful discrimination. This policy is intended to assist the Council to put this commitment into practice. Compliance with this policy should also ensure that Councillors and the Clerk (the Council’s sole employee) do not commit unlawful acts of discrimination.
Striving to ensure that the work environment is free of harassment and bullying and that everyone is treated with dignity and respect is an important aspect of ensuring equal opportunities in employment.
This Policy is based on a template provided by the National Association of Local Councils (NALC).
The law
Employment It is unlawful to discriminate directly or indirectly in recruitment or employment because of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, pregnancy, maternity, race (which includes colour, nationality, caste and ethnic or national origins), sexual orientation, religion or belief, or because someone is married or in a civil partnership. These are known as "protected characteristics”.
Discrimination after employment may also be unlawful, e.g. refusing to give a reference for a reason related to one of the protected characteristics.
Provision of council services The Council will not discriminate against or harass a member of the public in the provision of services or goods. It is unlawful to fail to make reasonable adjustments to overcome barriers to using services caused by disability. The duty to make reasonable adjustments includes the removal, adaptation or alteration of physical features, if the physical features make it impossible or unreasonably difficult for disabled people to make use of services. In addition, service providers have an obligation to think ahead and address any barriers that may impede disabled people from accessing a service.
Types of unlawful discrimination
Direct discrimination is where a person is treated less favourably than another because of a protected characteristic. In limited circumstances, employers can directly discriminate against an individual for a reason related to any of the protected characteristics where there is an occupational requirement. The occupational requirement must be crucial to the post and a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.
Indirect discrimination is where a provision, criterion or practice is applied that is discriminatory in relation to individuals who have a relevant protected characteristic such that it would be to the detriment of people who share that protected characteristic compared with people who do not, and it cannot be shown to be a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.
Harassment is where there is unwanted conduct, related to one of the protected characteristics (other than marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity) that has the purpose or effect of violating a person’s dignity; or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment. It does not matter whether or not this effect was intended by the person responsible for the conduct.
Associative discrimination is where an individual is directly discriminated against or harassed for association with another individual who has a protected characteristic.
Perceptive discrimination is where an individual is directly discriminated against or harassed based on a perception that he/she has a particular protected characteristic when he/she does not, in fact, have that protected characteristic.
Third-party harassment occurs where an employee is harassed and the harassment is related to a protected characteristic, by third parties.
Victimisation occurs where an employee is subjected to a detriment, such as being denied a training opportunity or a promotion because he/she made or supported a complaint or raised a grievance under the Equality Act 2010, or because he/she is suspected of doing so. However, an employee is not protected from victimisation if he/she acted maliciously or made or supported an untrue complaint.
Failure to make reasonable adjustments is where a physical feature or a provision, criterion or practice puts a disabled person at a substantial disadvantage compared with someone who does not have that protected characteristic and the employer has failed to make reasonable adjustments to enable the disabled person to overcome the disadvantage.
Equal opportunities in employment
The Council will avoid unlawful discrimination in all aspects of employment including recruitment, promotion, opportunities for training, pay and benefits, discipline and selection for redundancy.
Recruitment
Person and job specifications will be limited to those requirements that are necessary for the effective performance of the job. Candidates for employment or promotion will be assessed objectively against the requirements for the job, taking account of any reasonable adjustments that may be required for candidates with a disability. Disability and personal or home commitments will not form the basis of employment decisions except where necessary.
Working practices
The Council will consider any possible indirectly discriminatory effect of its standard working practices, including the number of hours to be worked, the times at which these are to be worked and the place at which work is to be done, when considering requests for variations to these standard working practices and will refuse such requests only if the council considers it has good reasons, unrelated to any protected characteristic, for doing so. The Council will comply with its obligations in relation to statutory requests for contract variations. The council will also make reasonable adjustments to its standard working practices to overcome barriers caused by disability.
Equal opportunities monitoring
The Council will monitor the ethnic, gender and age composition of the employees and of applicants for jobs (including promotion), and the number of people with disabilities within these groups, and will consider and take any appropriate action to address any problems that may be identified as a result of the monitoring process.
The Council treats personal data collected for reviewing equality and diversity in accordance with the data protection policy. Information about how data is used and the basis for processing is provided in the council’s privacy notices.
Dignity at work
The Council is preparing a separate dignity at work policy concerning issues of bullying and harassment on any ground, and how complaints of this type will be dealt with.
People not employed by the Council
Brill Parish Council will not discriminate unlawfully against those using or seeking to use the services provided by the Council.
As an employe or Councillor, you should report any bullying or harassment by suppliers, visitors or other members of the public to the Council who will take appropriate action.
Training
The Council will raise awareness of equal opportunities to those likely to be involved in recruitment or other decision making where equal opportunities issues are likely to arise.
The Council will raise awareness of Clerk and Councillors to help them understand their rights and responsibilities under the dignity at work policy and what they can do to help create a working environment free of bullying and harassment.
Responsibilities of Councillors and Clerk
Every member of the Council team is required to assist the Council to meet its commitment to provide equal opportunities in employment and avoid unlawful discrimination. Employees can be held personally liable as well as, or instead of, the council for any act of unlawful discrimination. Employees who commit serious acts of harassment may be guilty of a criminal offence.
Acts of discrimination, harassment, bullying or victimisation against other employees, associates or members of the public are disciplinary offences and will be dealt with under the council’s disciplinary procedure. Discrimination, harassment, bullying or victimisation may constitute gross misconduct and could lead to dismissal without notice.
Grievances
If you consider that you may have been unlawfully discriminated against, you should use the Council’s complaints procedure policy to make a complaint.
The Council will take any complaint seriously and will seek to resolve any grievance that it upholds. You will not be penalised for raising a grievance, even if your grievance is not upheld, unless your complaint is both untrue and made in bad faith.
Monitoring and review
This policy will be monitored periodically by the Council to judge its effectiveness and will be updated in accordance with changes in the law.
This policy
Policy written by Hannah Hulme Hunter February 2022
Adopted as Brill Parish Council policy February 2022
For Review February 2023 (although as a working document it may be refined earlier to meet changing legal or practical requirements)
Encroachment Policy
Introduction
This Policy is based on guidance suggested by the Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT). Its purpose is to guide parishioners, Councilors and the Clerk in the management of potential encroachment concerns. To safeguard the security and extent of the Common and Village Green for the enjoyment of all in perpetuity.
Please note:
Brill Parish Council will not, under any circumstances, acknowledge or consider reports that are submitted anonymously. All reports received will be added in the first instance to the Parish Communications Database.
All communications should ideally be addressed to the Clerk (contact details below and on our website) however they can also be made to a Councilor if need be. Individual Councilors are not authorised to resolve encroachment concerns so please do not expect a Councilor to deal with the matter immediately.
Definition of Encroachment: any action taken by any individual or group to deny or restrict access to the public of any part of the Common or the Village Green, or to imply ownership of any part of the Common or the Village Green, without the permission in writing of the Parish Council
Encroachment on land that is managed by the Parish Council may be, but is not limited to, the following:
Denying access to Common land/Village Green
Erecting any structure
Disposal of garden or building waste
Placing markers, such as stones, to establish a boundary
Adding hard surface (i.e. for parking etc.)
Installing fencing
Building a wall
Digging a ditch to establish a boundary
Abandonment of vehicles
Long-term parking of items such as caravans
Maintenance of the land, such as planting or mowing grass/strimming ‘weeds’ etc.)
Managing boundaries
The Parish Council take a pro-active approach to managing boundaries. At least 2 Councilors will participate in an annual ‘beating of the bounds’ to check for possible encroachments to check for potential encroachments. These will be logged on a standard form (Appendix A) and stored securely for future reference.
The Parish Council reserve the right to grant permission, request removal or arrange for removal at the responsible party’s expense.
Initial encroachment report procedure
Encroachment concerns can be raised to the Clerk using one of these methods:
face-to-face
telephone (answer phone out-of-hours; be sure to leave your name and phone number)
letter
email
Contact form on the Parish Council website
NOTE Concerns cannot be submitted through Facebook or other social media.
The Clerk will acknowledge receipt of the concern in writing, within 7 working days.
Two Councilors or one Councilor and the Clerk will complete a site visit to assess, photograph and complete the Encroachment Assessment form (Appendix 1) within 3 weeks.
Once the assessment is complete, the two Councilors/Clerk and Councilor will decide whether an encroachment has occurred. If it is deemed so, then a letter will be sent (Appendix 2) to the relevant party, if not the matter is closed, and the Encroachment Assessment form is completed and kept on file. This decision will be made and actioned within 7 working days. The letter gives the recipient 28 days to respond.
If the encroachment is rectified, a thank you letter should be sent in acknowledgement by the Clerk within 7 working days.
If the party wish to contest the encroachment concern, this must be done in writing and no later than 5 days before the next PC meeting; otherwise, it will have to wait until the following month for discussion.
The PC will discuss the matter in the monthly meeting and respond in writing within 7 working days of the meeting.
In some extraordinary cases the PC may consider giving permission for the encroachment to continue (for example, strimming nettles or placing stones to discourage parking etc.) and will acknowledge this in writing. In all instances, the land remains the property of the Brill Parish Council – the granting of an easement in no way infers the transfer of ownership.
If the PC have voted to deny the contest, a second letter will be sent (Appendix 3). The letter gives the recipient 28 days to respond.
If the recipient is still dissatisfied with the PC’s response, they should then refer to the Escalated Complaints Procedure in the PC’s Complaints Procedure Policy.
If the above timescales are not feasible, the Clerk will inform the relevant party and agree an alternative timescale.
NOTE If an encroachment concern involves a Councilor or the Clerk personally, it should be addressed to the current Chairperson of BPC who will then consult with another Councilor. The timescale detailed above will still apply with one of the Councilors fulfilling the Clerk’s role.
It is hoped that most cases can be resolved quickly and amicably through this route.
Repeated or vexatious complaints
A small percentage of encroachment complaints may be persistent or complain in a way that appears to be obsessive, harassing, or repetitious. This can be unacceptably time-consuming and stressful for all concerned. Whilst everyone has the right to raise a legitimate concern, they are not entitled to do so in a way that is unreasonable, or which has the effect of intimidating or harassing Councillors, the Clerk or a resident.
A vexatious or persistent complaint can be characterised in a number of ways:
Actions which are obsessive, persistent, harassing, prolific, repetitious.
Insistence upon pursuing unmeritorious complaints and/or unrealistic outcomes beyond all reason.
Insistence upon pursuing meritorious complaints in an unreasonable manner.
A complaint can only be considered vexatious once a decision has been passed to that effect by resolution of the full Council. This decision will then be conveyed to the Complainant in writing, giving reasons. The discussion and decision will be kept confidential.
This policy
Policy written by Cllr Liz Springs December 2022
Adopted as Brill Parish Council policy January 2023
For Review January 2024 (although as a working document it may be refined earlier to meet changing legal or practical requirements)
Drone Policy
Policy in summary
UAVs must not be flown to, from, or over Parish Council property for recreational or commercial purposes without permission.
Scope
This policy applies to all Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) including drones, Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems and radio-controlled aircraft up to the weight of 25kg flown under the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Open Category.
It does not apply to small drones or model aircraft under 250g in weight sold as toys or designed for children, nor the use of UAVs by the emergency services in the management of an emergency situation.
Brill Parish Council property includes
Brill Common (including carpark and all tracks)
The Walks
The Green
The Square
George V Playing Fields
All of these areas are owned by Brill Parish Council. They are private property. Here is a map showing these areas.
Background
UAV operators and fliers are required to register with the CAA and fulfil various other legal requirements including passing a theory test. Please refer to the drone section of the CAA website (opens in new tab) for full details.
The CAA theory test assesses knowledge and understanding of The Drone and Model Aircraft Code (opens in new tab). The Code includes safety, privacy, flyer and operator IDs, and physical limitations on flights. The Code forbids the flying of UAVs in these circumstances -
within 50m of people and individual buildings
within 150m of residential (including villages), recreational (including tourist attractions), commercial and industrial areas
over crowds gathered together for any purpose including sporting and music events or informal recreation
anywhere where you will disturb or endanger animals and wildlife
This means that UAV operators who fly to, from, or over Brill Parish Council property will be breaking The Drone and Model Aircraft Code (website opens in new tab on a number of counts. This policy is therefore an explicit reminder to UAV operators of their CAA obligations in the context of Brill Parish.
Our Rationale (beyond the legal requirements of The Drone and Model Aircraft Code) is as follows:
Brill Common and other open spaces within Brill Village are all in close proximity to residential and commercial properties. This includes the village itself and outlying houses and farms. There is therefore an unavoidable risk of disturbance, annoyance, and invasion of privacy to residents, and disturbance of domestic and farm animals.
Brill Common welcomes thousands of visitors throughout the year, including families and groups such as wedding parties and sports, youth and religious gatherings. The Common is grazed by a small herd of cattle and ball games and kite flying are popular pastimes. Away from the windmill, a defining characteristic of Brill Common is its tranquility, freedom to walk undisturbed, and rich habitat for wildlife. There is therefore, across Brill Common, a significant risk of annoyance and injury, invasion of privacy, and disturbance to people, animals and birds.
Permission
Brill Parish Council will consider applications for permission to operate a UAV to, from or over its property in the following situations:
Where use of a UVA would reduce workplace risk or facilitate operations in building or survey work or similar
Where use of a UVA would enable the delivery of professional services related to photography or other media for a private or commercial event
Other circumstances considered on individual merit
To request permission please contact the Parish Council and supply the following information:
Purpose of the flight, including use to which any images gathered would be put
Dates, times and durations of the proposed flight(s)
Take-off and landing points, anticipated view range
Evidence of CAA registration
A copy of the operator or flyer’s public liability insurance
Risk assessment for the proposed flights, including evidence of knowledge of specific and local risks
Enforcement
A summary of this policy will be displayed on the Brill Parish Council noticeboard adjacent to the windmill car park and the full policy will be displayed on the Brill Parish Council website.
UAV flyers breaching this policy should, ideally, be informed immediately and in person. They should be politely asked to stop and referred to this policy. They should also be reminded that they are breaking the The Drone and Model Aircraft Code as referenced above. Note that neither councillors nor residents should feel obliged to approach a UVA flyer unless they feel entirely safe and comfortable to do so.
Serious concerns about UAV operation should be reported to the Police online (website opens in new tab) or by calling 101. Call 999 if there is an immediate danger to life or threat of violence.
If permission is granted for the specific use of UAV over parish council land, details will be displayed in advance on the Brill Parish Council website.
This policy
Author: Cllr Hannah Hulme Hunter
Agreed and adopted by Brill Parish Council: October 19 2021
For review: Autumn 2024
Complaints Policy
Introduction
This Policy is based on a framework suggested by the National Association of Local Councils (NALC). Its purpose is to guide parishioners and councillors and Clerk in the management of complaints against Councillors, the Clerk, actions or non-actions of Brill Parish Council (BPC), or third parties working for or representing the Parish Council.
Please note
Brill Parish Council will not, under any circumstances, acknowledge or consider complaints that are submitted anonymously. All complaints received will be added in the first instance to the Parish Communications Database.
All complaints much be addressed to the Clerk (contact details below and on our website). Individual Councillors are not authorised to resolve complaints so please do not address complaints to them.
1. Initial Complaints Procedure
Complaints can be made to the Clerk using one of these methods:
face-to-face
telephone (answer phone out-of-hours; be sure to leave your name and phone number)
letter
email
Contact form on the Parish Council website
Complaints cannot be submitted through Facebook or other social media.
The Clerk will acknowledge receipt of the complaint in writing, within 5 days.
The Clerk will consult with a Councillor to decide how best to resolve the complaint.
The Clerk will respond to the Complainant in writing, within 21 days, with a resolution.
If this timescale is not feasible, the Clerk will inform the Complainant and agree an alternative timescale.
If a complaint involves the Clerk personally it should be addressed to the current Chairman of BPC who will then consult with another Councillor. The timescale detailed above will still apply with one of the Councillors fulfilling the Clerk’s role.
It is hoped that most complaints can be resolved quickly and amicably through this route. If the resolution reached in step 3 does not satisfy the Complainant, the matter will be escalated following the following procedure.
2. Escalated Complaints Procedure
If the Complainant is not satisfied by the initial resolution, they will be asked to submit a formal complaint in writing to the Clerk. The complaint should cover as much detail as possible and enclose any relevant supporting documentation. Help will be available with drafting a complaint should the Complainant need it.
The Clerk will acknowledge receipt of the escalated complaint in writing, within 5 days.
The Clerk will consult with two Councillors to decide into which category the complaint falls according to the information below. The Clerk will inform the Complainant in writing, within 21 days.
Action will be taken according to the categories below.
When the complaint is finally resolved, the Clerk will summarise the complaint and its resolution for the Council. The names of the Complainant and Councillors or Clerk involved will be redacted. A discussion will then take place to identify learning points for the Council as a whole.
3. Complaint categories
Category A : Criminal activity
The Complainant should take their complaint to the Police
Category B : Concerns about conduct of a Councillor
These complaints are dealt with by the Buckinghamshire County Monitoring Officer. The Monitoring Officer deals only with matters covered by the Councillors Code of Conduct. They will not deal with (a) complaints about Council employees, (b) incidents that happened before a councillor joined the Council, (c) how the Council conducts its business, decisions made, or actions taken (see E below).
Category C : Concerns about employee conduct (ie the Parish Clerk)
These complaints are dealt with under the Council’s disciplinary procedure. If upheld, this may result in disciplinary action or, in cases of gross misconduct, dismissal from the Council’s employment. The Council will not, under any circumstances, enter into any correspondence concerning details of any action taken, formally or informally against any member of staff. This is to protect the employment rights to which all employees of the Council are entitled.
Category D : Concerns about third party actions (or lack of action) or standards of service
Category D complaints refer to third parties such was contractors, suppliers or the primary council (Buckinghamshire Council). Voluntary groups or other organisations co-ordinated by or answerable to the Parish Council also fall into this category. Although the Council cannot resolve these issues directly, the Council will assist the Complainant with their approach to the third party and in reaching a resolution.
Category E : Concerns about the Council as a body
Category E complaints are expressions of dissatisfaction by one or more members of the public about decisions made by the Council, its actions (or lack of action), or the outcome or results of these actions. These complaints will be heard by a Parish Council Complaints Committee as detailed below.
4. Parish Council Complaints Committee
Before the meeting
The Council will convene a Complaints Committee to resolve Category E complaints. The Committee will be made up of two Councillors who have not been involved up to this point, and two suitable Parishioners approved by both parties.
The Clerk will tell the Complainant when the Complaints Committee will meet, giving at least 10 working days’ notice. Notice of the meeting will usually be public (included, for example, in Council minutes) although there may be exceptional circumstances why the complaint should be kept confidential.
The Complainant will be invited to attend the Complaints Committee meeting and to bring with them one other person for support. They will not be entitled to bring legal representation. The support person will not be allowed to address the meeting, unless the Complainant has significant communication difficulties.
The Complainant will provide the Council with copies of any documentation or other evidence they are using to support their complaint at least five working days before the meeting. Similarly, the Council will provide the Complainant with copies of any documentation which they intend to refer to during the meeting, again at least five working days before the meeting.
The Clerk or a suitable substitute will attend the meeting of the Complaints Committee to record the discussion and attend to any administrative tasks that may arise.
The meeting
One of the Councillors will introduce everyone and explain the process.
The Complainant will outline the grounds for complaint, after which the Committee (and the Clerk) may ask questions.
The Councillors (or the Clerk, if that is appropriate) will explain the Council’s position after which the Complainant may ask questions.
The Complainant will then summarise how they feel now about the matter.
The Complainant and their support person will then be asked to leave the room while the Councillors and Parishioners decide whether or not the complaint is upheld and, if so, how it could be resolved. If further clarification is needed, the Complainant can be invited back into the room.
Ideally, the complaint should be resolved on the day and the Complainant invited to wait for a decision. If a delay is expected, the Clerk will inform the Complainant and tell them of the likely timescale for a decision. Even though the decision will be confirmed in writing, it is important that the Complainant is informed in person, and given the opportunity to express their feelings.
After the meeting
The decision should be confirmed in writing within 7 days, together with details of any action to be taken.
Right of Appeal
The Complaints Committee’s decision is final.
5. Repeated or vexatious complaints
A small percentage of complaints may be persistent or complain in a way that appears to be obsessive, harassing, or repetitious. This can be unacceptably time-consuming and stressful for all concerned. Whilst everyone has the right to make a legitimate complaint, they are not entitled to do so in a way that is unreasonable, or which has the effect of intimidating or harassing Councillors or the Clerk.
A vexatious or persistent complaint can be characterised in a number of ways:
Actions which are obsessive, persistent, harassing, prolific, repetitious.
Insistence upon pursuing unmeritorious complaints and/or unrealistic outcomes beyond all reason.
Insistence upon pursuing meritorious complaints in an unreasonable manner.
A complain can only be considered vexatious once a decision has been passed to that effect by resolution of the full Council. This decision will then be conveyed to the Complainant in writing, giving reasons. The discussion and decision will be kept confidential.
This policy
Policy written by Cllr LIz Springs and Cllr Hannah Hulme Hunter January 2022
Adopted by Brill Parish Council February 2022
Amended March 2022
For Review February 2023 (although as a working document it may be refined earlier in the light of experience or to meet a change in related legislation)
Communication Policy
Scope of this document
This strategy concerns communication with the public. Communication within the parish council team is covered in Brill Parish Council Standing Orders.
Importance of communication with the public
Mutual trust - An informed community trusts the council to spend public money wisely and for the good of all; the council does so knowing it has the support of the community.
Reliable information - Parish councils are increasingly the go-to source of information on public services and community groups (the public rarely distinguishes between county- and parish-level tiers of government).
Engagement - Good communications ensure the public feel their views are actively sought, respectfully heard, and acted on appropriately; this makes everyone feel happier and makes a direct contribution to community cohesion and sense of belonging.
Understanding - Consistent and honest communications mean the public respect and support the council, even when things go wrong (the worst thing a council can do in difficult times is to stop talking).
Human connection - Presenting a caring, friendly face to the public can break down invisible barriers between public and council, challenge negative stereotypes, and enhance the standing of the council - thus encouraging the councillors of the future.
Future resilience - Good communications today lay the foundations for cooperation and innovation as we face a challenging future of climate change, new pandemics and other challenges to our way of life.
What does good communication look like?
Sustained, productive, respectful two-way conversations between the parish council and parishioners, in line with the objectives of the Parish Council (see appendix 1).
Principles of good communication
Our Code of Conduct (2021) and the Nolan Principles of Public Life (1995) apply to print and digital communication as they do to verbal communications and all other aspects of the councillor’s role. Regardless of origin or mode, each and every communication from the Parish Council should be:
Clear, and accessible to all sections of the community
Objective, honest but, where possible, positive, focusing on solutions rather than problems
Respectful, kind and inclusive; composed so as not to cause hurt or offence - or exclude or discriminate against individuals or groups
Rational, efficient and legal; in line with PC objectives, representing good value for public money, and complying with all legal and best practice requirements of privacy and accessibility
Written and digital communications are also subject to legislation including:
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR)
The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations (2018)
Communication with individuals
Communication between individual members of the public and parish council may be in person, by phone, or in writing (letters or emails). Unless a resident approaches an individual councillor, the Clerk will be the initial point of contact and s/he is responsible for responding appropriately following research and/or consultation with the relevant councillor, as required. All communications that require an action or make a suggestion for the council should be entered in the Parish Communication Database.
All written communications will be acknowledged within 5 working days and a full response made as expediently as possible, in accordance with the urgency and complexity of the matter. If the response is likely to be delayed beyond 10 working days, the Clerk will inform the parishioner of the delay and suggest a likely timetable for resolution.
Face-to-face and phone messages to be responded to either immediately (if possible), verbally or by email, according to the wishes of the parishioner. The same timescales apply as to written communications.
Communication with the public
The parish council communicates with the public face-to-face, through printed and digital documents, and social media.
Face-to-face communication includes the public time at the start of each parish council meeting (length at the discretion of the Chairman), councillor attendance at events such as the Community Market and coffee mornings, and, on occasion, door-to-door consultation. Actions and suggestions to be recorded on the Parish Communication Database, as above.
Written communication includes the posting of minutes and agenda on the noticeboard and the Brill Parish Council and Community website ; posters in various locations; notes in the monthly Bernode News; monthly e-newsletter; the annual report and financial statement; occasional surveys in print and email. A portfolio approach is taken in that these methods compliment and often replicate each other, the aim being to reach all sections of the community. Topics generally revolve around parish council business and projects. The Communication and Consultation Councillor and Clerk are jointly responsible for this area of communication.
Social media includes Instagram (@brillparishcouncil) and the Parish Council Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/brillparishcouncil), the latter supplemented by individual posts by Clerk and councillors in the Brill Village Chat. Topics may reflect parish council business and projects, convey Buckinghamshire Council messages, show the parish council in action or other positive aspects of community and village life. Instagram and Facebook posts may replicate or complement each other in order to reach younger and older members of the community. Social Media is the responsibility of the Communication and Consultation Councillor, with the support of other councillors.
Broadly speaking, the website is the depository of ‘evergreen’ communications - items of long-term relevance and policy - whilst social media is focused on ‘topical’ communication; accessible, positive communications to help build a strong, long-term relationship between the council and community, with the secondary aim of increasing use of the website as the primary source of parish council information. The evergreen and topical approaches work in synergy to in support of the parish council objectives outlined above.
Audit
The Parish Communication Database will be reviewed by the Clerk once a week (at a minimum) to ensure all actions are updated and/or completed. A redacted portion of the Database will be presented to the parish council to enable councillors and public to review communications since the last meeting, or not yet resolved.
The Clerk is responsible for auditing her/his response to verbal and written parish communications. Any problems encountered should be reported to the Chairman or another councillor and the Clerk supported to resolve these.
Complaints
Complaints from the public may be verbal or written. All complaints will be acknowledged within 5 days. If the complaint is relatively straightforward, the Clerk will deal with it, and respond as quickly as possible with an apology, explanation and resolution. If s/he anticipates a delay (maybe to investigate further or consult a councillor), s/he will inform the complainant and give an estimate for a proper response. All responses to complaints should be in writing, regardless of the original method of communication.
Complaints regarding the Clerk him/herself will be immediately forwarded to a councillor who will work with another councillor and, if appropriate the complainant, to resolve the matter.
Complaints of a more serious nature, including those regarding individual councillors, will be forwarded to the Monitoring Officer at Buckinghamshire Council. Parishioners may also complain directly to the Monitoring Officer if they so choose; contact information is on the parish council website or should be supplied by the Clerk on request.
APPENDICES
Brill Parish Council (BPC) Objectives
Direct and indirect provision of effective, value-for-money services that meet the needs of the community (direct = grass cutting; indirect = reporting fly-tipping to Bucks Council)
Initiate, encourage and support new and established projects that make a real contribution to community wellbeing
Act as responsible custodians for our built and natural environment, thinking always of the impact on future generations
Set high standards of governance and democracy to help build community confidence and trust
Model and facilitate good neighbourliness, including fairness, compassion, and the care of needy and vulnerable
Act as a conduit for communication between the community and Buckinghamshire Council, in particular the planning department
Sign-post the public to Bucks Council services, other public-facing services, charities and community groups in Brill and beyond
The “Nolan Principles”
Selflessness; Integrity; Objectivity; Accountability; Openness; Honesty; Leadership
Code of Conduct: relevant sections
(1) Respect
“In your contact with the public, you should treat them politely and courteously. Rude and offensive behaviour lowers the public’s expectations and confidence in councillors”
(4) Confidentiality
“There will be times when it is required by law that discussions, documents and other information relating to or held by the local authority must be treated in a confidential manner. Examples include personal data relating to individuals or information relating to ongoing negotiations.”
Parish Communication Database
This is maintained as a live Google document. Although the Clerk is jointly responsible alongside the councillor responsible for Communication and Consultation, all councillors are encouraged to edit and review the database to ensure they remain current with the concerns and expectations of parishioners and council workload.
Column headings are:
Date contact made
Source: ‘email to Clerk’, ‘message via website’, ‘phone call to office’, ‘verbal to Cllr X’, and so on
Name of parishioner; this to be redacted when the database is shared at parish council meetings
Main content of communication and two further columns for secondary content
Theme: Environment & Amenities, Planning, Roads & Traffic, Communications, Community
Response (action)
Person responsible for organising the action and replying to the member of the public; usually the Clerk
Date action either taken or initiated (eg request to handyman) and resident informed
Outcome & further actions
References and sources
Committee of Standards in Public Life (1995) The Seven Principles of Public Life https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-7-principles-of-public-life
Brill Parish Council Code of Conduct; based on Buckinghamshire Council Councillor Code of Conduct (2020), adopted October 2021
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5be052f2f93fd481c1501584/t/614ad95b68fa2e16e842dc87/1632295259858/Brill+Parish+Council+Code+of+Conduct+%28Sept+21+2021%29.pdf
Information Commissioner’s Office (2018) Guide to the General Data Protection Regulation
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation
Information Commissioner’s Office (date unknown) Guide to Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations
https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-pecr/
Central Digital & Data Office (2019, 2021) Make your website or app accessible and publish an accessibility statement https://www.gov.uk/guidance/make-your-website-or-app-accessible-and-publish-an-accessibility-statement?utm_source=CampaignPage1&utm_campaign=access_regs
Getting your message across: A communications toolkit for local councils (2010) Commissions for Rural Communities and National Association of Local Councils https://www.nalc.gov.uk/
Building a 2-way conversation with your community (November 4, 2021) Online training provided by Buckingham & Milton Keynes Association of Local Councils https://bucksalc.gov.uk/
Creating a social media strategy for your council (October 26, 2021) Online training provided by Buckingham & Milton Keynes Association of Local Councils https://bucksalc.gov.uk/
This policy
Policy written by Cllr Hannah Hulme Hunter November 2021
Adopted as Brill Parish Council policy January 2022
For Review January 2023
Biodiversity Policy
Introduction
Brill Parish Council has an important leadership role to play in creating a sustainable community environment where biodiversity can thrive.
We recognise our existing and future responsibilities both to conserve and promote biodiversity and to take positive action through innovation in the management of open spaces and verges, as well as conservation of our natural areas.
We will strive to lead by example in positively managing the village’s treasured and unique habitats.
About biodiversity
Thriving biodiversity and sustainable ecosystems are essential for our survival and wellbeing and biodiversity losses are unprecedented.
Biodiversity is the collective term for the variety and abundance of forms of life found in an area, including animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms like bacteria. Each of these species and organisms work together in ecosystems to maintain, balance and support life.
Biodiversity supports everything in nature that we need to survive including, food, oxygen, clean air and clean water.
What the Council will do to promote biodiversity
The Parish Council will, as far as is possible, conserve and promote the biodiversity of the land it manages. It will adopt beneficial practices with regarding to cutting and removal of vegetation, application of chemicals, and timing of maintenance work. Special care will be taken in the specification of grounds maintenance contracts to ensure that the work, whilst reaching acceptable standards, does not harm the natural environment.
The Parish Council will work in partnership with other organisations to protect, promote and enhance biodiversity within areas of the parish.
The Parish Council will, wherever possible, raise public awareness of biodiversity issues as part of its leadership role within the local community.
The Parish Council will involve the community in promoting biodiversity and living areas on its land including, for example, tree planting, developing living areas and wilding areas.
The Parish Council will communicate information and raise awareness of biodiversity through its website and newsletters.
The Parish Council, when commenting on planning applications, will support site and building design that benefits biodiversity through the conservation and integration of existing habitats or provision of new habitats. It will support protection of sensitive habitats from development and will consider whether the development would mean the loss of important habitats for wildlife in respect of all applications.
This policy
Policy written by Cllr Hannah Hulme Hunter August 2022
Adopted as Brill Parish Council policy September 2022
For Review September 2023
A summary of our obligations prepared by Aspire, September 2023
Website Accessibility Statement
Introduction
This accessibility statement applies to the Brill Parish Council website. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:
change colours, contrast levels and fonts
zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand using Plain English.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
Our commitment & current compliance
Brill Parish Council is committed to making its website accessible in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. This website is currently partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Non-accessible content
site navigation is unreliable using keyboard alone; fixing this is our priority
some images are displayed without alt text; fixing this is our next priority
our financial statements appear as PDFs of spreadsheets; our finance sub-committee is working on making this information generally more accessible and this website will build on this work
our online forms are difficult to navigate using just a keyboard
older images on our Instagram feed may have missing alt text and contrast issues
some older documents are in pdf format; in particular, Minutes prior to September 2021 (subsequent Minutes are published as webpages)
some older data is presented in chart, map or image form without comprehensive text explanation
We are working to address these issues. Our first priority is to ensure that new content and frequently accessed pages meet accessibility standards. We will then work backwards to ensure older content is accessible, as resources permit.
Note that we try to make sure that websites and documents linked to from the website are also accessible but we cannot guarantee this.
What to do if you can’t access parts of this website
If you need information on this website in a different format please contact the Parish Council. We will work out how to help you and get back to you in 10 working days.
Enforcement procedure
If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (website opens in new tab).
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was originally prepared on January 29th 2022. It was updated on January 21st 2026 following informal self-assessment. As detailed above, work is on-going. When significant tasks have been completed, this statement will be adjusted accordingly and the review date recorded.