Parish Council Borrowing Advice
Our borrowing advice helps town and parish councils achieve their capital expenditure plans while managing the costs and the risks of different types of loan.
Our independent approach to allows us the freedom to develop fresh solutions while our experience enables us to provide our clients with advice that is specific to their needs.
Unique advice for each client
To provide bespoke borrowing advice, we first look to the client’s financial plans and risk appetite. We then discuss a range of features within our debt service that ensure the most appropriate borrowing is taken, including advice on the trade-off between short-term and long-term borrowing, the most appropriate mix of fixed and variable rate loans, and best time to agree funding.
Borrowing loans
Once we have agreed a borrowing strategy, our guidance will help you with the subsequent parts of the process, from discussing the proposal with the County Association, through to seeking borrowing approval from the Secretary of State, and then finally to arranging the loans themselves.
While the PWLB is typically the most common borrowing choice for Parish Councils, our advice will also cover other providers offering cheaper and different products.
Once borrowing approval has been given, we further assist clients in their borrowing decisions by tracking market movements, providing market intelligence and timely advice on agreeing the transaction. For loans from the private sector, we will review the loan agreement to check it is suitable and there are no unsuitable clauses.
Debt restructuring
Loans borrowed many years ago may no longer be suitable for the council’s needs, especially if it has cash balances earning little interest at the bank. We will discuss the costs and benefits of early repayment, possibly combined with replacement loans where appropriate.
Other debt services
We benchmark councils’ loan portfolios to enable clients to monitor their performance against a peer group of similar organisations. We also advise on regulatory issues and accounting solutions, so that each client receives our full support at all stages of the borrowing process.