Standing orders are the written rules of a local council. Standing orders are essential to regulate the proceedings of a meeting. A council may also use standing orders to confirm or refer to various internal organisational and administrative arrangements. The standing orders of a council are not the same as the policies of a council but standing orders may refer to them.
Local councils operate within a wide statutory framework. These standing orders incorporate and reference many statutory requirements to which the Council is subject. It is not possible for standing orders to contain or reference all the statutory or legal requirements which apply to local councils. For example, it is not practical for standing orders to document all obligations under data protection legislation. The statutory requirements to which a council is subject apply, whether or not they are incorporated in a council’s standing orders.
These standing orders do not include financial regulations. Financial regulations are standing orders to regulate and control the financial affairs and accounting procedures of a local council. The financial regulations, as opposed to the standing orders of a council, include most of the requirements relevant to the Council’s Responsible Financial Officer. Dumbleton Parish Council’s Financial Regulations are available as a separate document on the Council’s website.