Insurance · Comparison
Best parish council insurance
Four specialist schemes serve the UK’s c.10,000 parish, town and community councils. They are not interchangeable. This is the honest comparison — including the biggest underwriter migration in the niche in a decade.
Last updated 17 May 2026·11 min read
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The four-scheme landscape, at a glance
| Scheme | Underwriter (2026) | NALC / SLCC | Online quote? | LTA standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clear Councils | Ecclesiastical (from 2025; previously Aviva) | NALC-endorsed; SLCC supplier | For smallest councils only; otherwise phone/broker | 3-year LTA standard |
| Zurich Municipal | Zurich (direct) | Not NALC-endorsed; widely used | Yes, sub-£30k precept | Via tailored quote |
| Gallagher (Communities Team) | Hiscox (principal) | SLCC supplier; absorbed Came & Co | No — broker only | Yes |
| James Hallam Council Guard | Lloyd's syndicates / composite panel | SLCC supplier | No — broker only | Yes |
#1 · NALC-endorsed scheme — Ecclesiastical-underwritten (from 2025)
Clear Councils
Underwriter: Ecclesiastical (Benefact Group) from 2025; previously Aviva
Who it's for: The default for the majority of UK parish councils. NALC-endorsed, dominant book in the niche (estimated 2,000+ councils), suits small, medium and larger parishes alike. The Local Council Award Scheme and Star Council Awards sponsor. Particularly natural choice for councils that prefer to align with the national association's recommendation.
Strengths
- NALC-endorsed — the only insurance broker formally listed on NALC's partners page
- Three-year LTA standard, typically yielding 5–10% discount and rate-lock against in-cycle inflation
- Free Parish Online digital asset-mapping subscription included on three-year deals
- Ecclesiastical-backed from 2025: a Benefact Group insurer with deep public-sector and charity experience
- Co-developed Ecclesiastical/Clear policy wording — modern, parish-specific, includes the standard cyber and Martyn's Law-relevant extensions
- Sponsor of the Local Council Award Scheme — embedded in the sector's professional-development infrastructure
Watch-outs
- The underwriter migration from Aviva to Ecclesiastical is still rolling out at the time of writing — pre-migration wordings continue until next renewal
- Online quote-and-buy is limited to the smallest councils; most quotes are phone/broker-led
- NALC endorsement is a partnership, not a guarantee — you should still benchmark against Zurich and at least one of Gallagher / James Hallam
Pricing: Three-year LTA benchmark: £1,848.38 for a typical small council (Wotton-under-Edge area procurement disclosure, 2024–2027). Single-year quotes available; LTA pricing usually 5–10% better.
#2 · Direct insurer — largest book in the small-council segment
Zurich Municipal
Underwriter: Zurich Insurance Company (direct)
Who it's for: Small parishes (sub-£30k precept) that want a fast, transparent online quote. Also serves medium and large town councils through tailored quotes. 4,000+ council customers and a 4.8/5 Feefo rating (2024) — the volume play in this niche.
Strengths
- Genuine online quote-and-buy for sub-£30k precept councils — from £196/yr for the simplest profile
- Transparent published add-on pricing: £39/yr for play equipment, £63/yr for memorials
- Direct-insurer model removes the broker-margin layer for the simplest cases
- Published Fair Value Assessment (30 September 2024) under Consumer Duty — strong documentation discipline
- Long-standing relationship with Community First (a Wiltshire-based charity broker) for rural-network distribution
- 4.8/5 Feefo rating (2024) — best public satisfaction data in the niche
Watch-outs
- Not NALC-endorsed — Clerks who lean on NALC alignment may not feature it
- The online product excludes skate parks and several high-risk asset categories — these require a broker referral
- Less of a named-relationship feel than Clear Councils or the smaller broker schemes; suits councils that want process, not handholding
Pricing: From £196/yr (sub-£30k precept, online package, no high-risk assets). Add-ons published openly. Medium and large town councils quoted on a tailored basis.
#3 · Broker — Hiscox-underwritten; absorbed Came & Company / parishinsurance.co.uk
Gallagher (Communities Team)
Underwriter: Hiscox (principal); panel for specialist lines
Who it's for: Medium and large town councils, and councils with complex asset registers (fleet, multiple buildings, leisure services, neighbourhood plans). Gallagher absorbed the legacy Came & Company / parishinsurance.co.uk parish book and is now the largest global broker active in the niche.
Strengths
- Hiscox as principal underwriter — a Lloyd's-listed specialist with strong wordings and claims discipline
- Inherits Came & Company's specialist parish book, which has been in this niche since the early 2010s
- Global broker resources behind a specialist team — useful for tendered placements at the larger end
- Active risk-management content via the Scribe Accounts blog (Kevin Millard) — strong on practical PL claim defence
- Named-broker model with continuity of relationship; well-suited to councils that value personal contact
Watch-outs
- No online quote — broker-only model, slower for the simplest cases
- Premium tends to be tendered against the simpler schemes for small councils; price-led buyers may prefer Zurich's online route
- The Came & Co brand is being phased out in favour of Gallagher; some legacy materials still reference the old brand
Pricing: On quotation — not published. Pricing reflects asset register, claims history and council size; competitive against Clear Councils at the larger end.
#4 · Broker — Lloyd's-backed; SLCC supplier
James Hallam Council Guard
Underwriter: Lloyd's syndicates / composite panel
Who it's for: Medium-to-large town councils that want a Lloyd's-backed alternative to Clear or Gallagher. Strong on named-broker relationships, with testimonials from Shrewsbury Town Council and Weston-super-Mare TC. Chartered Insurance Broker status with an in-house claims team.
Strengths
- Lloyd's syndicate underwriting — independent of the dominant composite insurers
- Chartered Insurance Broker status — a meaningful professional standard
- In-house claims team and named scheme manager (Colin Raffell) — continuity through claims
- SLCC supplier listing — visible at SLCC national and branch events where clerks meet brokers
- Suited to councils that want a specialist alternative without going to a global broker
Watch-outs
- Smaller book than Clear or Zurich — fewer published benchmarks and reviews
- No online quote — broker-only; slower for the smallest councils
- Not NALC-endorsed; clerks who lean on NALC alignment may not consider it first
Pricing: On quotation — not published. Targets the medium-to-large town-council band where bespoke pricing makes sense.
How to choose between them
The four schemes don't fight on price alone — they fight on distribution model, underwriter pedigree, and the support wrapper. The right pick depends on your council profile.
| Your council profile | First quote to get | Second quote |
|---|---|---|
| Tiny parish, sub-£30k precept, no skate park, clerk-only | Zurich (online) | Clear Councils |
| Small-to-medium parish, £30k–£100k precept, some assets | Clear Councils | Zurich or Gallagher |
| Medium parish, £100k–£250k precept, play equipment, hall, paid staff | Clear Councils | Gallagher or James Hallam |
| Large town council, £250k+ precept, multi-asset, fleet, leisure services | Gallagher or James Hallam | Clear Councils (formal tender) |
| Complex risk (skate park, large outdoor events, multiple leases) | Gallagher (Hiscox) | James Hallam (Lloyd's) |
In all cases — get three quotes. The procurement expectation is three written quotations, and the cost discipline of getting them is real even when you end up renewing with the incumbent.
What the schemes have in common (and where they differ)
All four schemes cover the standard parish-council package: EL £10m, PL £5m–£12m, officials' indemnity, fidelity guarantee (typically half-precept-plus-reserves), libel and slander, money, property all-risks for council assets, personal accident, engineering inspection, optional motor and cyber.
Where they actually differ:
- Distribution model. Zurich has the only meaningful online quote-and-buy. The other three are phone/broker-led.
- Underwriter.Ecclesiastical (Clear), Zurich (Zurich), Hiscox (Gallagher), Lloyd's panel (James Hallam). All A-rated. Different claims histories in different sub-sectors.
- NALC alignment. Clear is the only NALC-endorsed scheme. The others actively compete.
- Bundled extras. Clear includes Parish Online digital asset mapping on three-year LTAs. Gallagher provides the Scribe Accounts content stream. Zurich publishes Feefo ratings. James Hallam runs named-broker continuity.
- Claims handling. Hard to compare publicly — no published claims-acceptance data is parish-specific. The FOS publishes general SME-insurance complaint figures but does not segment parish-council policyholders.
Worth knowing
Officials' indemnity ≠ trustee indemnity. Parish councillors are elected office-holders, not charity trustees. Don't buy a charity-only trustee indemnity insurance product for a parish council — the wording is wrong. All four schemes above sell parish-appropriate officials' indemnity as part of the package.
Allied Westminster / VillageGuard is village hall, not parish council. If a parish council owns or trustees a village hall, you may need a separate village-hall policy from VillageGuard or similar, in addition to (not instead of) your parish-council policy. See village hall insurance.
Smaller authority audit (AGAR). Whatever you buy, the policy details go into the AGAR pack at year-end. The internal auditor will look for: PL of at least £5m–£10m, EL where staff are employed, fidelity guarantee at the half-precept-plus-reserves formula. All four schemes meet this comfortably out of the box.
Frequently asked
Has Clear Councils’ service changed since the Ecclesiastical migration?
The broker (Clear) is unchanged — same team, same contacts, same NALC endorsement. The underwriter (the company actually carrying the risk) changed from Aviva to Ecclesiastical for renewals from 2025. The policy wording was co-developed by Clear and Ecclesiastical for the new scheme. Customers move to the new wording at their next renewal after the migration date.
Do we have to use the NALC-endorsed scheme?
No. NALC describes the Clear Councils relationship as a partnership rather than a single-supplier mandate, and does not appoint a panel. Zurich, Gallagher and James Hallam all compete actively for parish business, including against NALC-endorsed Clear. Best practice — and the procurement-rule expectation — is to get three quotes.
What about BHIB? Or Came & Company?
BHIB Councils Insurance was rebranded as Clear Councils in August 2023 following Clear Group's acquisition. Same people, same book, new name. Came & Company was absorbed into Gallagher's Communities Team; the Came & Co brand is being phased out and the SLCC supplier listings now redirect Came & Co entries to Gallagher. If you're looking for either of those names, you should be looking at Clear or Gallagher.
How long is the typical procurement process?
Allow 4–6 weeks from quote request to council resolution for the typical small-to-medium parish. The clerk requests three quotes, prepares a comparison appendix, the council resolves at the next Finance Committee or Full Council meeting, and the clerk binds cover. For larger town councils running a formal tender under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 or the Procurement Act 2023, allow 3–4 months.
Should Welsh community councils choose differently?
Largely no. One Voice Wales does not publicly endorse a single insurance partner, and Welsh community/town councils are served by the same broker pool — Clear, Zurich, Gallagher, James Hallam. Welsh-language documentation may be required for council-owned halls under the Welsh Language Standards; check with the broker which schemes support bilingual policy documentation.
Related guides
Parish council insurance — the buyer’s guide →
Full package guide for parish, town and community councils — covers, statutory requirements, the clerk’s role.
How much does parish council insurance cost? →
Real published numbers: Zurich’s £196 entry, Clear Councils’ £1,848.38 three-year LTA benchmark.
Parish councils — the cluster hub →
All our parish council guides on one page.
Village hall insurance →
If your council owns or trustees the village hall, you may need both cover types.
Insurance topic hub →
All our insurance guides for UK community organisations.
Sources
- NALC partnership announcement with Clear Councils (renewal 2024) and Aviva-to-Ecclesiastical scheme migration (2025)
- Clear Insurance Management corporate filings re Clear Group acquisition of BHIB (August 2023)
- SLCC supplier directory listings (current; Came & Co redirects to Gallagher Communities Team)
- Zurich Municipal town and parish council product information; published Fair Value Assessment (30 September 2024); 4.8/5 Feefo (2024)
- Gallagher Communities Team product information; Scribe Accounts blog (Kevin Millard, 2024–25)
- James Hallam Council Guard product information; SLCC supplier listing
- Insurance Business UK reporting on the Clear / Ecclesiastical deal (Ecclesiastical schemes-book doubling target by 2026)
- Local Government Act 1972 (parish council statutory framework)
- Localism Act 2011 (general power of competence for “eligible” parish councils)
- Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 (statutory EL minimums)
- Procurement Act 2023 and Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (council procurement framework)
General information, not regulated insurance advice. For a binding quote, contact each broker directly. Market positions described here were correct at the most recent update date — the parish-insurance market is consolidating and may move again.