Minute Taking

1.A parish council has a legal duty to keep records of its meetings to accord with the Local Government Act 1972 Schedule 12 Para 41 (1). Minutes are a legal record which can be used as evidence in a court of law.

2.Auditors expect to note that the minutes show clearly what financial decisions have been taken; especially decisions related to Section 137 (see Finance and Law).

3.Minutes become legal when they are signed by the chair as an accurate record. In law, this normally occurs at the next meeting. Actions arising from a meeting do not have to wait until the next minutes are signed.

4.Loose leaf minutes should be numbered consecutively and initialled by the chair on every page.

5.Minutes need a clear numbering system for easy reference. Most councils use a system related to the council year.

6.If the clerk (or another officer) isn’t available to take the minutes someone must be given the task – perhaps a councillor.

7.The record of decisions must be absolutely clear. It is good practice to use the following phrase and to write it in bold ………..It was resolved that

8.An amendment must not be a direct negative of the original proposal – it refines and adjusts. Where amendments to proposals are put on the table they must be voted on in the order in which they are put forward, before the original proposal. If the amendment is supported it replaces the original proposal. There is no need to record the amendments; the final proposal and the decision is all that is necessary.

9.If a resolution or decision is controversial or involves large amounts of money, the clerk would be wise to make sure that the wording is recorded accurately at the time of the decision by reading the minute to the meeting and even getting the minute signed there and then.