Parish Council events commitee need access to money

Question

We are a committee under the Parish Council of a small village.  We do many events in the village and collect donations and use money to buy items (always approved by the Parish Council). Diffucult for the Clerk to be running backwards and forwards for cash. Diffucult for the Events commitee to purchse items unless they purchase themselves and claim the money back.  Is it possible for a commitee to have a separate bank account, topped up from Parish Council. We have a grant to help the running of the group. The commitee is run correctly following standing orders and report to each Parish Council meeting.

Answer 1

It seems that the council is taking on the organising of village events. Now notwithstanding that an event can either be free gratis for the community to enjoy or it can be designed to be cost neutral( Income equals costs) + a small profit. If the problem is set up cost as it seems why not set up a seedcorn fund via the precept which could finance set up costs for events and be repaid to the fund from the profits made. That way ambitions of community events( by the community themselves) could be increased and extended as initial finance would be covered. Of course good planning would need to recover the cornseed amount from the event profits. Events should be run as a business as far as money is concerned

Answer 2

Would something like an Equals card work? It's a debit card that is topped up with money - some parish councils & clerks use them for purchasing smaller cost items such as office supplies. As far as I know the £250 fee is waived for not for profit organisations.

Answer 3

What do you mean by "We have a grant to help the running of the group."? Is this just a line in the Council's budget, or is a payment made? Your financial regulations probably require all sums received to be banked, so the donations you collect should go straight to the RFO/Clerk to be recorded and banked. If the items you purchase are always approved by the Parish Council, they could also be purchased by the Council in the usual way, presumably by the Clerk. It would be very unusual for a committee of the Council to have a separate bank account, although perhaps with full delegated authority, this might be permissible. It would cause extra work for minimal benefit, so it's not to be recommended.

Comments

Should councillors be handling cash donations at all?

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The running of small events by a local council is fraught with regulatory complexities. My councils don't run events as a matter of course, but we have marked some of the recent significant national celebrations where nobody else came forward to do so. I have ducked any personal involvement in these as I don't see it as part of my role, leaving my councillors to make the arrangements, including handling cash donations etc. Not an ideal scenario, but sometimes needs must.