Welcome to the Preparedness Toolkit

This toolkit guides parish and town councils through a clear, phased journey towards greater professionalism, resilience and readiness for the future. Its purpose is simple: to help councils understand their communities, strengthen their governance, build skills and assess their capacity to deliver services — now and in the possible context of devolution or the transfer of local assets and responsibilities.

This is not a quick exercise. Many councils will work through the five pillars over several months or even a full year. That gradual approach is recommended. Taken step by step, the toolkit helps councils embed good practice, build confidence and prepare in a measured way that avoids overwhelm.

Each pillar contains practical guidance, templates, training links, and checklists. Some councils will move quickly; others will take longer. The aim is continuous improvement — becoming stronger, more effective councils serving their communities with professionalism and clarity of purpose.

Start with "Community", they are at the hear of everything we do, and move through the pillars in the order they appear.