The Finance and Governance Toolkit for Community and Town Councils
Jointly developed by One Voice Wales, SLCC, and the Welsh Government, supported by commentary from Audit Wales, the Finance and Governance Toolkit for Community and Town Councils has been designed to support all councils to meet their statutory responsibilities, have strong financial management and governance, and to deliver the best outcomes for their communities.
The toolkit supports councils to:
- Review the financial management, governance, and accountability arrangements in place
- Consider how effective these arrangements are and how they might be improved
The toolkit is made up of two parts:
- Part 1 – The Health Check
Practical and easy to use, this section can be completed by the clerk, working with the chair or a small group of members, to assess whether fundamental governance and financial management arrangements are in place
- Part 2 – The Self-Assessment
This section enables users to reflect more deeply on how the council is operating, managing its finances, and governing itself. The questions will help the council think through how it is working for, and with, the local community, to achieve the greatest impact for their area.
Using the toolkit
The toolkit has been designed to be used flexibly – your council can choose where to prioritise attention and split the toolkit into ‘bite-size chunks’ that are manageable for you and your council to work through to suit your needs and priorities.
The toolkit contains links to a comprehensive set of training, guidance and support that can be drawn upon to address any areas for improvement. While this is not an audit tool, it will help you assess whether your council is meeting certain statutory requirements that external auditors and the public would expect to see.
Tip: The Vision, Purpose, and Community Planning Theme in the toolkit is an excellent place to start discussions.