Town and parish councils: problems we solve
28 problems town and parish councils bring us, each with the cause, what it costs and what we build to fix it.
Town and parish councils problems
28 articlesHow Can Our Parish Council Run the Allotment Waiting List Without the Clerk Ringing Round Every Spring?
Parish council allotment waiting lists go stale: people move, plots sit empty, offers go unanswered. We build a waiting list residents join and update online.
Why Does Collecting Allotment Rents Take Our Clerk Most of the Autumn?
Allotment rent renewals mean letters, cheques, water charges and chasing every year. We build a renewal run that invoices plot holders and tracks who has paid.
How Do We Keep a Proper Record of Allotment Inspections and the Letters That Follow?
Parish council allotment inspections live on clipboards and in the clerk's memory. We build a phone-based inspection record with photos and follow-up letters.
How Do We Stop Double Bookings When Our Village Hall Is Booked by Phone, Email and a Paper Diary?
Council village halls get double-booked when bookings come by phone, email and a paper diary. We build a hall booking calendar with approval and invoicing.
How Do We Manage Football and Cricket Pitch Bookings, Season Fixtures and Weather Closures in One Place?
Town council pitch bookings mix season fixtures, one-off hires and weather closures in spreadsheets. We build a pitch calendar with closure alerts to clubs.
How Can Our Clerk Get the Agenda and Meeting Papers Out on Time Without a Late-Night Scramble?
Parish council agendas run late when papers arrive by email at the last minute. We build an agenda pack builder that collects items and publishes on time.
How Can Our Clerk Turn Meeting Notes Into Draft Minutes Faster and Publish Them Properly?
Council clerks spend days turning notes into minutes, then juggle draft and approved versions. We build a minutes tool that drafts from the agenda for review.
How Do We Find What the Council Decided Years Ago When It Is Buried in Hundreds of PDF Minutes?
Council clerks lose hours searching old minutes for past decisions. We build a searchable archive of minutes and resolutions, including scanned paper books.
How Do We Make Sure Things the Council Resolved Actually Get Done?
Council resolutions get agreed at meetings and then forgotten until someone asks. We build an action log fed from the minutes, with owners and reminders.
How Does Our Clerk Keep Track of Planning Application Consultations and Comment Deadlines?
Parish councils get planning consultations by email with short deadlines. We build a tracker that logs each application, its deadline and the council's comment.
Residents Report Potholes and Broken Lights to Us, Not the County. How Do We Route Them and Keep Track?
Residents report potholes and faults to the parish council, which is not responsible. We build a report form that routes each one and tracks the reply.
We Own Some of Our Street Lights. How Do We Log Faults, Instruct the Contractor and Check the Repair?
Town and parish councils that own street lights juggle fault reports, contractor jobs and invoices. We build a lighting fault log tied to each column.
Residents Email Individual Councillors Instead of the Clerk. How Do We Stop Things Getting Lost?
Residents email parish councillors directly and the clerk never hears. We build a shared enquiry log so every resident contact is recorded and answered.
How Can We Run Our Community Grants Scheme Without Chasing Forms, Accounts and Signatures?
Parish council grants to local groups mean paper forms, missing accounts and chasing. We build an online grant application with checks and a decision pack.
How Do We Get Local Groups to Report Back on Grants the Council Gave Them?
Parish councils award grants then struggle to get receipts and end reports back. We build grant monitoring with reminders, uploads and a record per award.
How Do We Handle Burial Bookings and Keep the Register Up to Date Without Retyping Everything?
Parish council burial admin means funeral director forms, fees and a handwritten register. We build a burial booking record that keeps the register current.
How Do We Know Which Graves Are Used, Reserved or Free When Our Cemetery Plan Is a Marked-Up Paper Map?
Council cemetery plans on paper make it hard to see used, reserved and free graves. We build a digital grave plan linked to burials and rights of burial.
How Do We Process Headstone and Memorial Applications Without Losing Track of Permits and Fees?
Council memorial applications from stonemasons arrive on paper with drawings and fees. We build an online memorial permit process linked to each grave.
Family Historians Keep Asking Our Clerk to Search the Burial Register. Can We Make That Self-Service?
Family history burial enquiries take the clerk hours of register searching. We build a searchable burial index the public can use, with the clerk in control.
How Does a Small Council Keep Track of Freedom of Information Requests and Their Deadlines?
Small councils get FOI requests by email and track them in the clerk's head. We build a request log with deadline reminders and a record of what was released.
How Do We Make Sure Every Weekly Playground Check Gets Logged and Every Defect Gets Fixed?
Council playground checks are ticked on sheets that rarely reach the clerk, so defects wait. We build a phone-based check with a defect list the clerk works.
Our Asset Register Is a Spreadsheet Nobody Trusts. How Do We Keep It Accurate All Year?
Town and parish council asset registers drift out of date between year ends. We build a register with locations, photos and changes logged as they happen.
How Can Our Council Get Invoices Approved and Paid Without Printing Everything for the Meeting?
Council invoices wait for meetings, get printed for signatures and rekeyed for payment. We build an invoice approval flow that fits your financial regulations.
How Can Our RFO Produce Budget Versus Actual Reports for Councillors Without Rebuilding a Spreadsheet Every Quarter?
Council RFOs rebuild budget monitoring spreadsheets every quarter by hand. We build a budget report that reads your accounts and shows spend against budget.
How Do We Handle Stallholder Applications, Insurance Documents and Pitch Plans for Our Christmas Market?
Town council markets and events drown in stallholder emails, insurance certificates and pitch plans. We build stallholder applications with document checks.
How Do We Collect and Summarise Residents' Consultation Responses When They Arrive on Paper, Online and by Email?
Council consultations bring paper forms, online surveys and emails that take weeks to collate. We build one response log with a summary councillors can use.
How Do We Know the Grounds Maintenance Contractor Actually Cut Everything Before We Pay the Invoice?
Parish councils pay grass cutting invoices without knowing which sites were cut. We build a visit log for contractors and a check against the schedule.
Our Clerk Is Leaving and Everything Is in Their Head and Their Inbox. How Do We Make the Handover Work?
When a parish clerk leaves, the council's records often live in their inbox and laptop. We build a council records hub so a new clerk can find everything.