What is the difference between the Annual Meeting of the Parish and the Annual Parish Council meeting

An Annual Parish Meeting is a meeting of the electorate as opposed to a Parish Council meeting which is a meeting of the Parish Council held in public and to which residents are allowed to attend and to observe.

Annual Meeting of the Parish

All Town and Parish Councils in England are required by law to hold an Annual Parish Meeting, which must take place between March and June (inclusive). Meetings should not commence before 6pm.(LGA 1972). 

The Annual Parish meeting is to give the Parish Council, and other local organisations if they wish, an opportunity to let local residents know what they have been doing over the past year. The meeting is also an opportunity for electors to have a say on anything they consider valuable to the people of the Parish.

The Annual Parish Meeting is for all electors of the Parish and whilst anyone can attend, only registered electors of the parish may speak and vote (if there is a vote) during the meeting

Any registered elector may ask a question of the Council which will usually be answered by the Chair.

An elector may also make a suggestion and comment on anything pertinent to the residents of the Parish.

Crucially, it is not a meeting of the Parish Council.

Annual Parish Council meeting

The Annual Parish Council Meeting is a Parish Council meeting, includes the annual election of the Chairman and Vice-Chair (LGA1972 ss 15) and follows the format laid in the Standing Orders.  Members of the public are not allowed to speak unless Standing Orders are suspended.

A key part of the meeting is the election of the Chairman. Cllrs may also elect a Vice-Chairman and where the Chair and Vice-Chair are elected, they must formally sign their Declarations of Acceptance of Office which enables them to act in their roles.  The meeting also undertakes a range of governance activities including appointing members to committees and outside bodies, reviewing policies and procedures, confirming the Council’s asset register, and setting the schedule of meetings for the year ahead.

The annual meeting of the parish council must be held in May on any day that the parish council agreed (except for Bank Holidays), There is the exception in an election year, where the meeting must be held on or within 14 days on which Cllrs elected at that election take office