Notes App for Meetings

Take excellent notes during Parish Council meetings with your iPad! The Notes app makes it easy to organise, search, and share information from meetings.

Setting Up for Council Meetings

1 Create a dedicated folder for Parish Council by opening the Notes app, tapping the Folders button (back arrow at the top left), then tapping "New Folder".

2 Make subfolders for different types of meetings or committees by tapping the three dots next to your main folder, choosing "Create Subfolder".

3 Create a meeting note template that you can duplicate for each meeting with sections for agenda items, decisions, and action points.

4 Pin important notes like recurring agenda templates by swiping right on a note in the list and tapping the pin icon.

Organisation Tip: Use a consistent naming convention for your meeting notes, such as "YYYY-MM-DD Parish Council Meeting" to make them easy to find later.

Taking Effective Meeting Notes

1 Use headings to organise your notes by tapping the Aa button above the keyboard and selecting a heading style.

2 Create checklists for action items by tapping the checklist button above the keyboard, then adding tasks as they're assigned during the meeting.

3 Format text using bold, italics, or underline to highlight important points by selecting text and tapping the Aa button.

4 Add tables for budget discussions or voting results by tapping the table button above the keyboard.

5 Insert the meeting agenda by copying and pasting from an email or document, then adding notes under each agenda item.

Council Tip: Highlight decisions in a different colour or with a special formatting so they're easy to spot when reviewing notes later.

Useful Notes Features

Document Scanning

Quickly scan handouts or paper documents directly into your meeting notes.

Photo Insertion

Add photos of whiteboards, project sites, or visual presentations to your notes.

Drawing Tools

Sketch diagrams or site plans related to council projects when words aren't enough.

Voice Recording

Record audio of the meeting directly in your note (but always get permission first).

Smart Lists

Automatically format numbered or bulleted lists for structured note-taking.

Instant Search

Find any note or information by typing keywords in the search bar.

Attachment Support

Add PDF reports, spreadsheets, or presentations directly to your notes.

Hashtags

Add #tags to your notes (like #Budget or #Planning) to organise by topic.

After the Meeting

1 Review and clean up your notes right after the meeting while the discussion is fresh in your mind.

2 Highlight action items and assign them to specific people with deadlines for accountability.

3 Share your notes with other councillors by tapping the share button (square with an arrow) at the top right of the note.

4 Export as PDF for formal records by tapping the share button and selecting "Print", then pinch outward on the preview to convert it to PDF.

Collaboration Tip: If multiple councillors are taking notes, decide on a process to combine them into one official record after the meeting.

Collaboration and Sharing

1 Invite others to collaborate on a note by tapping the person icon at the top right, then "Share Note".

2 Set permissions to determine if others can edit or just view the note.

3 View changes made by collaborators, marked with their name and colour.

4 Lock important notes to prevent accidental edits after they've been finalised by tapping the share button and selecting "Lock Note".

Privacy Tip: For sensitive council matters, you can password-protect specific notes by tapping the share button and selecting "Lock Note".