Governance Documents

Procedures and Policies

Annual Governance and Accountability Returns

All documents listed below are pdfs unless otherwise noted - contents to be reviewed, updated where appropriate and moved to the new repository, or removed if obsolete

Governance Documents from 2021-22

Earlier documents

Note: Standing Orders (section 2 k) require that most governance documents be reviewed at the Annual PC Meeting in May each year. This review will not necessarily be noted here if little or no change is made)

Audit Documents

Other Documents

• Constitution of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Committee (approved 6 March 2012)  as a web page and a pdf
• Register of Members' Interests: Under the newly adopted Code of Conduct we are required to publish the Register of Members' Interests on our website via a link to the City Council's website. The City Council advised us on 23 January 2012 that the Register of Members Interest forms can be found at www.winchester.gov.uk/councillors-committees/parish-council/
• Code of Conduct (from 1 July 2012)
  • As reported by NALC,

New laws governing the conduct of elected members in local government came into effect on 1 July 2012: with local (parish and town) councils required to have their own local codes of conduct for their 80,000 councillors.

• The Department of Communities and Local Government describe the new measures as New rules to ensure greater town hall transparency
• Winchester City Council  published the new Code of Conduct for Parish Councils. You can find it at www.winchester.gov.uk/councillors-committees/code-conduct/.
• Guidance for the holding of the Annual Parish Meeting (Assembly)

Internal Audit Notes

Paragraph 2.73 of the March 2014 edition of  Governance & Accountability in Local Councils: A Practitioner’s Guide states that the work of internal audit should be subject to an engagement letter on first appointment by the Council, setting out the terms of the appointment. Engagement terms may include:

•  Roles and responsibilities
•  Audit planning
•  Reporting requirements
•  Assurance around independence and competence
•  Access to information, members and officers
•  Period of engagement
•  Remuneration and
•  Any other matters required for the management of the engagement by the council.