Jump to a section:
Free trial & demo Getting started Pricing & contracts Data security & GDPR Accessibility compliance Publishing & WordPressFree trial & demo
Yes. You can start a free trial without any commitment or credit card details. The trial gives you access to the full platform so you can explore all features, create agendas and minutes, and test the publishing tools at your own pace. If you decide CouncilPapers isn't right for your council, you can walk away — no strings attached.
The free trial lasts for 90 days. We designed the trial period to give you enough time to work through at least one full meeting cycle — from creating the agenda to publishing the minutes — so you can properly assess whether it fits your council's workflow.
Absolutely. If you'd prefer to see CouncilPapers in action before setting anything up yourself, you can book a free demo. We'll walk you through the platform, focus on the areas most relevant to your council, and answer any questions you have. Book a demo here.
If you choose not to subscribe after the trial, your data will be securely deleted within 30 days. You can request an export of anything you've created before that point. We will never retain or use trial data for any other purpose.
Getting started & setup
Most councils are up and running within a few hours. Setup involves entering your council information, adding your councillors and committees, and configuring your meeting schedule. There's no software to install and no technical knowledge required. For councils switching from an existing system, we can advise on the best way to migrate your historical records.
No. CouncilPapers is designed for council clerks and administrators, not IT professionals. If you can use a word processor and a web browser, you have everything you need. The platform guides you through every step, and our support team is available if you get stuck.
CouncilPapers is priced per council, not per user. Your subscription covers your entire council — clerks, deputy clerks, and as many councillors as you have. There's no per-seat fee and no limit on the number of people who can be given access.
Yes. You can set up as many committees as your council has, assign councillors to each, and manage separate meeting schedules, agendas, and minutes for each committee — all within a single subscription.
CouncilPapers includes built-in contextual help throughout the platform so guidance is always close at hand. We also provide online documentation covering every feature. If your council would benefit from a guided onboarding session, please get in touch and we can arrange that.
Pricing & contracts
CouncilPapers is priced as a single annual subscription per council — there are no per-user fees, no setup charges, and no hidden costs. Full pricing details are available on our pricing page. If you have questions about whether CouncilPapers fits your council's budget, please get in touch.
Subscriptions are annual. We don't lock councils into multi-year contracts. At the end of each year, your council can choose to renew or cancel. We think the software should earn your renewal each year on its own merits.
Yes. We understand that councils typically operate through formal purchase order and invoice processes. We can issue a formal invoice addressed to the council, suitable for your internal approval and payment procedures. Contact us to arrange this.
Yes. As your council is the Data Controller and CouncilPapers acts as your Data Processor under UK GDPR, we provide a formal Data Processing Agreement (DPA) as part of every subscription. You can read a summary and download the full DPA here.
Data security & GDPR
All data is stored on servers located within the United Kingdom. We do not transfer council data outside the UK. If this ever changes, we will notify you in advance and ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.
We apply a range of technical and organisational security measures, including encryption of data in transit (TLS 1.2 or higher) and at rest, role-based access controls, regular automated backups, and ongoing security monitoring. Full details are provided in Schedule 1 of our Data Processing Agreement.
Your council is the Data Controller. You determine what data is entered into the platform and the purposes for which it is used. CouncilPapers (Paper Monkey Limited) acts as a Data Processor — we process data solely on your instructions, to provide the services you've subscribed to. This relationship is documented in our Data Processing Agreement.
On cancellation you can request an export of all your council's data in a standard format. Once the subscription ends, we will securely delete all your data within 30 days and provide written confirmation that this has been completed. Backup copies are purged within 90 days.
In the event of a personal data breach we will notify your council within 48 hours, with full details of what happened, what data was affected, and the steps being taken to address it. This gives you the information you need to meet your own ICO reporting obligations within the 72-hour statutory window. We will provide all reasonable assistance throughout the process.
Accessibility compliance
Yes. The CouncilPapers council publishing section — the public-facing area where your agendas and minutes are published — is designed and tested to meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA in full. This covers page structure, colour contrast, keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, and correct use of ARIA attributes.
Parish and town councils are subject to the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. These regulations require that your council's website content — including published agendas and minutes — meets WCAG 2.2 Level AA. CouncilPapers is designed to help you meet this obligation by default.
Yes. The regulations require your council to publish its own accessibility statement for its website, regardless of the platform you use to manage content. CouncilPapers makes it straightforward to meet the underlying accessibility requirements, but the statement itself needs to come from the council. We can provide guidance on what to include.
Publishing & WordPress plugin
No. CouncilPapers includes a dedicated public-facing section on the CouncilPapers website where your agendas and minutes are published automatically. You don't need your own website at all to meet your transparency obligations through the platform.
Yes. The CouncilPapers WordPress plugin connects your existing WordPress site to the platform and publishes your documents automatically whenever you approve them. There's no manual uploading or file management required. The plugin works with most standard WordPress themes.
Yes. CouncilPapers lets you produce separate Public and Confidential versions of the same agenda. Only the public version is published to your council's public-facing pages. Confidential items are accessible only to authorised users — clerks and the relevant councillors — through the secure Councillor App.
Yes. Everything published through CouncilPapers is automatically indexed and searchable. Members of the public, councillors, and staff can search across your full archive of agendas and minutes — making it easy to find a specific resolution, planning decision, or agenda item without trawling through folders of PDFs.
Documents are published as accessible HTML pages within the council publishing section, ensuring they meet WCAG 2.2 AA requirements. PDF versions are also available for download where required.
Still have a question?
If your question isn't covered here, we'd be happy to help directly.
Contact us Book a free demoLaunching Spring 2026!
Council Papers
Stop drowning in paperwork
Your meeting preparation shouldn't consume your week. Automate the tedious bits so you can focus on what matters.
Meeting records that stand up to scrutiny
Version-controlled, searchable, audit-proof—your agendas and minutes become a trusted record, not a liability.
Transparent, accessible council papers
Publish professional agendas and minutes to the web instantly. Show your community that decisions are made openly and carefully.