Transparency, Governance & Public Information

Trowell Parish Council is committed to transparency, accountability and lawful governance.
This page explains how the Council operates, how decisions are made, and how residents can access information and engage with Council business.

1. Legal Status of the Council

Trowell Parish Council is a statutory local authority constituted under the Local Government Act 1972.

The Council:

  • Acts only through resolutions made at properly convened meetings

  • Conducts its business in public unless confidentiality is legally required

  • Operates under adopted Standing Orders and Financial Regulations

  • Records all decisions in published minutes

Individual councillors do not make decisions independently unless formally delegated.

Approved minutes remain the official legal record of Council decisions.

2. Governance Framework

The Council operates in accordance with formally adopted Standing Orders Trowell Parish Council Standing Orders – adopted 20th May 25 and Financial Regulations Trowell Parish Council Financial Regulations – adopted 20 May 2025

These documents regulate:

  • Meeting procedures

  • Public participation

  • Decision-making

  • Financial control

  • Record management

  • Responsibilities of the Proper Officer and Responsible Financial Officer

The Chair’s interpretation of Standing Orders during a meeting is final in accordance with those Orders.

3. Role of the Clerk, Responsible Financial Officer & Parish Hall Manager

The Clerk is the Proper Officer of the Council and is also appointed as the Responsible Financial Officer (RFO).

The Clerk also acts as Manager of the Parish Hall on behalf of the Council.

These roles operate within delegated authority and adopted Council policies.

Proper Officer responsibilities include:

  • Lawfully convening meetings

  • Publishing agendas and minutes

  • Maintaining statutory records

  • Advising on legal and procedural matters

Responsible Financial Officer responsibilities include:

  • Administration of the Council’s finances

  • Maintaining accounting records

  • Ensuring compliance with Financial Regulations

  • Preparing AGAR and financial reports

Parish Hall Manager responsibilities include:

  • Managing bookings and hirer arrangements

  • Overseeing maintenance programmes

  • Managing caretaking staff

  • Ensuring health and safety compliance

  • Operating within Council-approved budgets

Strategic decisions and major expenditure are determined by the Council at properly convened public meetings.

Office Hours & Working Arrangements

The Clerk works from the Parish Hall/office Monday to Thursday. On Fridays, administrative duties are undertaken remotely.

The Council operates an appointment-only system for in-person visits. This ensures appropriate staffing arrangements, efficient administration, and compliance with health and safety responsibilities.

Residents may contact the Council by email or telephone during working hours and request an appointment where necessary.

4. Public Meetings & Participation

Parish Council meetings are open to the public unless confidential business is being lawfully considered.

Public Participation (Public Forum)

In accordance with the Council’s adopted Standing Orders:

  • Public participation is time-limited

  • It is not part of formal Council debate

  • A question does not automatically require a response at the meeting

The Chair may direct that a written or oral response be given where appropriate.

Where clarification of a submitted question cannot be obtained and the questioner is not present, the Council may be unable to provide a meaningful response within the public participation session.

Residents who are unable to attend may submit written correspondence to the Council.

Identification of Speakers

Parish Council meetings are formal public proceedings.

Individuals speaking during the public participation session may be asked to state their name before addressing the Council. This assists the Chair in managing the meeting fairly and transparently.

5. Recording & Livestreaming of Meetings

Under the Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014, members of the public and press have the right to attend and record public meetings.

Recording is permitted provided it does not disrupt proceedings.

Advance notice of recording or livestreaming is encouraged to assist with:

  • Room layout and positioning of equipment

  • Safe access and movement

  • Appropriate arrangements where children or vulnerable individuals may be present

Advance notice is not a condition of the right to record.

The legislation does not require parish councils to livestream meetings. Trowell Parish Council does not currently livestream meetings as a matter of course.

In considering communication methods, the Council may take into account proportionality, cost, technical capability, data protection, and welfare considerations.

Council Audio Recording

The Clerk may make a temporary audio recording solely to assist with preparation of the minutes.

  • It is not published

  • It does not replace the minutes

  • It is deleted once minutes are approved

  • It is managed in accordance with Data Protection legislation

6. Minutes of Meetings

Under the Local Government Act 1972 and the Council’s Standing Orders, minutes must record resolutions made.

Minutes:

  • Are not verbatim transcripts

  • Record decisions and agreed actions

  • Become the official legal record once approved and signed

Privately made recordings do not alter the legal status of approved minutes.

7. Freedom of Information & Records

The Council complies with:

  • Freedom of Information Act 2000

  • Environmental Information Regulations 2004

  • Data Protection Act 2018

The Council provides access to recorded information held at the time a request is received.

The Act does not require the Council to create new information or provide opinion.

The legislation permits refusal of repeated, vexatious or disproportionate requests, subject to oversight by the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Record Retention & Historical Loss of Documents

During the COVID-19 period, an overnight flood at the Parish Hall caused damage to archival paperwork that was being reviewed at the time.

Some historical paper records could not be recovered.

The Council can only provide information that it currently holds.

Current statutory records are maintained securely in accordance with legal requirements.

8. Financial Transparency & Accountability

The Council operates under:

  • Local Government Act 1972

  • Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014

  • Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015

Requirements differ from those applying to principal authorities, and the Council complies fully with those applicable to its size.

AGAR & Audit

Accounts are prepared annually, subject to Internal Audit and External Audit or Limited Assurance Review, and published with a statutory public inspection period.

Publication of Financial Information

The Council publishes required financial documents including AGAR, budget, and minutes recording expenditure.

Residents have a statutory right to inspect accounts during the public inspection period.

Staff Costs

Total staffing expenditure is published within annual accounts.

Individual salary information may constitute personal data and is handled in accordance with Data Protection legislation.

9. Council-Led Events & Funding

The Council organises community events as part of its community engagement role.

Self-Funding Model

Events operate on a self-funding basis:

  • No recurring precept allocation

  • Income covers costs

  • Surplus funds future events

All income and expenditure is processed through Council accounts and subject to audit.

External Contributions

Specific initiatives may receive grant support, including community funding from a County Councillor.

All such funding is declared, recorded and used for its intended purpose.

Operational Delivery

Compliance matters (licensing, risk assessments, finance) are managed through the Clerk’s statutory role.

Councillors and community members may assist on a voluntary basis during events.

Strategic decisions and budgets remain determined by the Council at public meetings.

10. Council Website

The Council’s website is the primary source of official information published by Trowell Parish Council.

The website is used to publish information including:

  • meeting agendas and approved minutes

  • financial and governance documents

  • Council policies

  • public notices and announcements

  • information about Council services and facilities

Routine updates to the website may be carried out by the Clerk under delegated administrative authority to ensure information is accurate and accessible.

Where formal decisions are required, these are made by the Council at properly convened meetings and recorded in the official minutes.

11. Communication and Transparency

Trowell Parish Council aims to communicate clearly and transparently with residents about how the Council operates and how information is shared with the community.

The following section explains how the Council uses social media as part of its communications and clarifies the difference between official Council channels and external online discussions.

12. Social Media Governance

Trowell Parish Council operates official social media pages to provide information to residents.

The Council currently administers the following Facebook pages:

  • Trowell Parish Council

  • Trowell Parish Hall

These pages are used as supplementary communication channels to share information such as:

  • Council meeting agendas and notices

  • community updates and local information

  • Parish Hall activities and events

  • public service announcements

Social media is not used for formal Council decision-making or debate. All decisions of the Council are made at properly convened public meetings and are recorded in the official minutes.

Purpose of the Council’s Social Media Pages

The Council’s social media pages are intended to act as an information noticeboard for residents. They allow the Council to share timely updates about matters affecting the community.

These pages do not replace:

  • Council meetings

  • formal consultation processes

  • official correspondence with the Council

Comments or discussions on social media do not constitute formal representations to the Council and are not treated as part of the Council’s decision-making process.

Residents wishing to raise questions, concerns or representations regarding Council matters should do so through the Council’s official communication channels.

Public Comment and Moderation

The Council may limit or disable comments on its social media pages where necessary.

This is because social media platforms are not appropriate forums for:

  • formal complaints

  • detailed correspondence with the Council

  • debate on Council business

  • the handling of personal or confidential matters

Where comments are disabled, this ensures that pages remain focused on sharing information rather than hosting unmoderated discussions.

Residents are still able to contact the Council directly through established channels.

Engagement with the Council

Residents can engage with the Council through:

  • attendance at public meetings

  • the public participation session at meetings

  • written correspondence to the Council

  • Freedom of Information requests where appropriate

These routes ensure that enquiries and concerns are handled properly, transparently and in accordance with the Council’s governance procedures.

External Social Media Groups

The Council does not operate or control any other social media groups or pages.

Content posted within external community-run groups represents the views of the individuals posting and not those of the Council.

The Council does not generally engage in discussions within external social media groups and instead communicates through its official channels to ensure that information shared is accurate and consistent.

Respectful Communication

Trowell Parish Council is committed to open and respectful communication with residents.

The Council welcomes constructive engagement and feedback. However, the Council also has a duty of care towards its staff and councillors.

Personal attacks, harassment or abusive comments directed at individuals do not contribute to constructive discussion about Council business.

Residents wishing to raise concerns about Council matters are encouraged to do so through the Council’s formal channels so that enquiries can be properly considered and responded to.

Council officers, including the Clerk, act under the direction of the Council and in accordance with its adopted policies and delegated authority. Concerns regarding Council decisions or operations should therefore be directed to the Council as a corporate body rather than to individual officers.

13. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Trowell Parish Council may use widely available digital tools, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), to assist with routine administrative tasks such as drafting documents, summarising information, or creating promotional materials.

AI tools are used only as supporting tools for administrative work and are not used to make decisions on behalf of the Council.

All outputs are reviewed before use, and responsibility for all Council decisions remains with the Council and its officers.

The use of such tools forms part of normal office administration and does not replace the Council’s formal decision-making processes.

Where such tools are used, they are currently limited to freely available services that do not incur any cost to the Council.

Any use of digital tools is subject to the Council’s existing data protection and information governance policies, and personal or confidential information is handled in accordance with those requirements.

14. Engagement with the Council

Residents may engage by:

  • Attending meetings

  • Speaking during public participation

  • Writing to the Council

  • Making Freedom of Information requests

Agendas and approved minutes remain the official record of Council business.