Parish Council Standing Orders - complete, approved and adopted?

Question

Hi

The link below is to a copy of my local Parish Council's Standing Orders which was obtained from their website.

MODEL STANDING ORDERS 2018 (ENGLAND)

It appears to be a facsimile of NALC's document and does not provide any details of the Parish Council itself or include evidence of approval and adoption within or attached to it.  Furthermore, the orders also appear to be substantially undetermined and therefore ambiguous and confusing.

In their current state, are the Parish Council Standing Orders valid?

Any thoughts would be deeply appreciated.

Thank you

Sam

Answer 1

That appears to be the NALC model document, without any of the necessary additions, alterations or deletions. In that form, it is not a valid set of standing orders.

The standing orders should be reviewed and re-adopted every year at the annual meeting.

Comments

Hi DtC

Many thanks again!  Are there any ramifications for not reviewing and adopting the SO?

Best wishes
Sam

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It's certainly something that should be rectified asap. The internal auditor is supposed to confirm this as part of the annual audit, but many do not. Standing orders are the framework within which we operate and, whilst they place many restrictions that some consider unwelcome, they are also our safety net. Without them, anything goes.

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Hi DtC

Your wealth of knowledge is admirable and appreciated!

Kind regards

Sam

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Thank you Sam

Answer 2

Technically they could be valid if there is a minute with a resolution to say they were accepted and ratified by the PC. However, it is clear that  the following action  in the model orders have not been acted on:  

A model standing order that includes brackets like this ‘( )’ requires information to be inserted by a council. A model standing order that includes brackets like this ‘[ ]’ and the term ‘OR’ provides alternative options for a council to choose from when determining standing orders.

Either the Clerk has posted the wrong version of the SO's on the website, or has through apathy or lack of knowledge simply posted the template.  Either way it doesn't reflect well on the Cllr's.  That said many of them often don't bother reading  such items anyway.

Comments

Hi Graeme_r

Many thanks for your response.

Ii is my belief the Clerk has a total disinterest in her roles and responsibilities.

Kind regards

Sam