Policies & Procedures

INTRODUCTION

Fillingham is a small village and as such does not have a Parish Council; it has a Parish Meeting. As a Parish Meeting it still has certain regulatory requirements that must be met. This document, together with the others found on the Fillingham Parish website have been established to meet the regulatory requirements.

A Parish Meeting is not recognised as a legal entity. As such all assets are held in Trust, on behalf of the Parish Meeting.

The day-to-day activities of the village are controlled via the procedures and practices given in the https://fillingham-village-hall.lemonbooking.com website.

SCOPE

This policy applies to the Parish Meeting only.

PARISH REPRESENTATIVES

The representative positions & responsibilities are given below:

Chair

Overall responsibility for the Parish.

Preparing agendas & hold 4 meetings per annum.

Authorise precept & annual return (prepared by Financial Officer).

RFO-Clerk

Overall responsibility for the Parish & Community finance.

Prepare financial plan, budgets & financial statements.

Prepare annual precept, accounts & return for approval by chair.

Report on financial status vs plan.

Appoint an internal auditor.

Prepare minutes of meetings.

Maintain the Parish & village procedures & records.

Each positions term is for one year. Each positions nominations shall be voted upon each year at the AGM. There are no restrictions on the number of times a candidate can hold a position.

In addition to the above formal representative positions there is also a requirement for a financial Internal Auditor. This position shall be appointed by the RFO-Clerk. The Internal Auditor shall be independent of the RFO-Clerk & shall be adequately financially competent.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)

The AGM shall be held annually in the first quarter of the new financial year, typically in May.

The positions shall be positively advertised at least 4 weeks before the meeting.

The quorum for the meeting shall be the two current Representatives of the Parish Meeting, plus a minimum of three parishioners. If there are insufficient members present, then no business will be transacted, and a fresh notice will be issued to reconvene the meeting at a later date.

The outgoing Chair will preside until a new Chair has been elected. The first business of the AGM shall be the election of the and to receive their acceptance of the new Chair & RFO-Clerk.

Acceptance will require the signing of a Declaration of Acceptance of Office for each position.

MEETINGS

A minimum of 4 meetings a year will be held (including the AGM). The meeting dates will be published, following the AGM.

The agenda for the meeting will be agreed and circulated by or on behalf of the Chair.

The Chairman of the Meeting will preside at the meeting and will be responsible for the conduct of that meeting. If the Chairman is not present, then they shall arrange an appropriate deputy in advance of the meeting; typically, the RFO-Clerk.

The quorum for the meeting shall be the two Representatives of the Parish Meeting, plus a minimum of three parishioners. If there are insufficient members present, then the meeting will be postponed.

If at any time during the meeting it ceases to be quorate then the meeting will be adjourned and any further business carried forward to the meeting when next convened.

Voting at the meeting shall be by a show of hands unless a majority of Representatives wants a ballot. In cases of equal votes, the Chairman (or other person presiding) will have a second or casting vote.

Minutes of the meeting will be kept by the RFO-Clerk. The minutes shall be circulated following the meeting. The minutes shall be confirmed as an accurate record at the subsequent Parish Meeting. Any amendments required will be noted in the subsequent minutes.

With regard to planning applications - if there is a personal interest a statement can be made to the Parish Meeting but then the person must leave the meeting while discussions take place.

ISSUED

June 2026