SULGRAVE - A QUALITY PARISH COUNCIL
(Home)

Parish Clerk Christine Coles has been informed that the Sulgrave Parish Council meets all of the relevant standards and is now officially a "QUALITY COUNCIL" as defined in the Government's "Quality Parish and Town Council Scheme".

See here for a copy of the certificate.

The Quality Parish and Town Council Scheme was launched in 2003 following the Government's Rural White Paper, 2000. The aim of the Scheme is to provide benchmark minimum standards for parish and town councils. The Scheme is supported by six National Stakeholders, the Commission for Rural Communities, the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Local Government Association, the National Association of Local Councils and the Society of Local Council Clerks.

Hazel Blears, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government said recently:

"Local Councils are vital to re-invigorating local democracy. The Quality Parish 
and Town Council Scheme has played an important role in improving the quality 
of management and administration of parish and town councils."

As of 27 June 2008 the Scheme changed so as better to reflect the increased professionalism of councils. There are now three tests which are highlighted below but there are also a number of amendments to some of the existing tests, again mentioned below.

In order to achieve Quality Status, parish and town councils must demonstrate that they have reached the standard required by passing several tests. These are:

• Electoral Mandate
• Qualifications of the clerk
• Council meetings
• Communication and Community Engagement
• Annual Report
• Accounts
• Code of Conduct
• Promoting local democracy and citizenship
• Terms and conditions
• Training

Changes to the Scheme, in addition to the three new tests, as of 27 June 2008 are as follows:

• Electoral mandate test - Councils are required to show that at least two-thirds of councillors were elected. 'Elected' can mean either at a contested or uncontested election. However, they must have stood.
• Council meetings test - Councils are required to publish draft minutes of meetings within two months of it taking place and make them available for inspection by any elector in the parish. This is in place of publishing agreed minutes.
  
  
• Communications and Community Engagement test (Mandatory):
  • Councils are required to have a website which provides a list of council members and officers, details of how they can be contacted and which also provides access to the annual report.
  • Councils are required to have an email address that is publicly available.
  • Councils must either produce their own newsletter or contribute to a community newsletter.
    
    
• New test - Promoting Local Democracy and Citizenship test - Councils will be required to demonstrate that they work proactively to support local democracy and citizenship.
  
  
• New test - Terms and Conditions - Councils with a paid clerk will be required to provide evidence that they have adopted (as a minimum) the NALC/SLCC Terms and Conditions agreement and provide evidence in the form of a statement that they have issued all paid members of staff with a contract of employment.
  
  
• New test - Training - Councils will be required to provide a training 'Statement of Intent' which shows that the council has identified key areas of training need for both staff and members.

See here for more information on this Scheme.

TOP