Maintaining parish council records

Records to retain permanently

These should be preferably deposited in the NRO.

• Parish council minute books
• Parish meeting minute books
• Minute books of committees, such as:
  • Jubilee and coronation celebrations
  • Charities
  • Allotments
  • Planning
  • Playing field
  • Burial ground, etc
• Books of declarations on acceptance of office
• Orders establishing the parish council or parish meeting or authorising mergers of parishes
• Title deeds and leases
• Agreements and contracts
• Investment documents
• Receipt and payment account books
• Annual financial statements
• Allotments (registers and plans)
• Burial grounds (burial registers, purchased graves registers, memorial registers and plans)
• Footpaths (survey of footpaths in parish, closure orders)
• Commons (Commons Commissioner's decisions)
• War memorial (subscription lists, plans)
• War records, including:
  • Survey of accommodation available for evacuees
  • Air Raid Precaution papers
  • Minutes of invasion committee
• Correspondence with rural district councils, county council, etc
• Insurance properties relating to parish council properties
• Photographs and programmes of events organised by the parish council
• Newsletters and other publications (such as parish guides, parish histories) issued by the parish council
• Surveys of parish facilities

Items to retain indefinitely for legal reasons

These do not necessarily have to be deposited in the NRO.

• Quotations and tenders
• Burial grounds records:
  • Registers of fees collected
  • Applications for interment
  • Applications for right to erect memorials
  • Disposal certificates
  • Copy certificates of grant of exclusive right of burial                    

Items to retain for at least 12 years

• Wages books

Items to retain for at least six years

• Bank statements, including deposit and savings accounts
• Receipt books of all kinds
• Paid invoices
• Paid cheques
• VAT records
• Petty cash, postage and telephone books
• Members' allowances registers
• Halls, centres, recreation grounds:
  • Applications to hire
  • Lettings diaries
  • Copies of bills to hirers
  • Record of tickets issued                        

Items to retain for at least five years

• Scales of fees and charges

Items to retain for at least the last completed audit year

• Bank paying-in books
• Cheque book stubs
• Timesheets