Policies & Procedures

Policies & Procedures

Standing Orders

The Parish Council is governed by various policies and procedures. The key document is the Standing Orders which set out how the Council operates and include rules of procedure laid down in legislation. For example, three councillors must be present for a meeting to go ahead; this is known as the quorum. Other standing orders determine issues such as voting requirements and procedures for public participation.

Our Standing Orders.

A Transparency Code was issued by the Government in 2015 for smaller local councils with an annual turnover is less than £25,000. It requires the online publication of certain information about council finances and provides taxpayers with a clear view of council activities, spending and governance. Fawkham Parish Council publishes all the required information to this website. Financial information can be found on the Finance & Accounts page.

Risk Assessment

Fawkham Parish Council assesses the risks it faces, and the steps it takes to minimise them, on an annual basis at the Annual Council Meeting in May.

View the risk assessment document.

Asset Register

Our asset register includes any items which the Council purchased, was gifted or otherwise acquired, with a value of £100 or more. The register is reviewed each year in April/May when the condition of the assets are inspected to see if they need repair or replacing, so this can be budgeted for, although any issues which arise during the year will be dealt with at the time. Any new assets are also added to the register at the time of review. The information on the register then feeds into to the annual renewal of the Council’s insurance.

View the Asset Register.

Insurance

The Council has its insurance policy through Insurance Broker BHIB underwritten by Aviva Insurance ltd. This includes public liability cover of £10,000,000.

Document Retention Policy

The Council recognises the need to retain documents for audit purposes, staff management, tax liabilities and in the event of any legal disputes and proceedings. A document retention policy has been agreed which takes into account various statutory obligations.

Read the Document Retention Policy.

Social Media Policy

The Council first adopted a Social Media Policy in July 2022.

Read the Social Media Policy.

Information and Data Protection Policy

The Council first adopted a Information and Data Protection Policy in October 2022.

Read the Information and Data Protection Policy.

Employment Policies

We also have employment policies in place which were first adopted in May 2022:

Equality & Diversity Policy

Antibullying and Harrassment Policy

Grievance policy

Disciplinary Policy

Complaints Procedure

If you wish to make a complaint in relation to Fawkham Parish Council please follow this procedure:

Complaints Procedure.

Publication Scheme

The Council first adopted a Publication Scheme in October 2022.

Read the Publication Scheme.

Delegated Authority

The Council first adopted a Delegated Authority to the Clerk for emergency planning applications in November 2022.

Read the Terms of Reference here.