Statutory Returns

The Parish Council is required to produce annual information on how it has managed itself and how it has spent its money. This information is required to be made available on a public website in accordance with the Transparency Code and residents have the right to inspect the documents within a specific timescale.

The Statutory Returns are as follows:

The Exemption Certificate is signed by the Chair and Finance Officer (the Clerk) to confirm that the Council had neither total receipts nor payments of more than £25000 in the year. This then exempts the Council from having an External Audit Review. The Certificate is forwarded to the external auditor who has the right to call in 5% of such Returns for further review.

The Internal Auditor’s Report is delivered to the Council for review. The Internal Auditor assesses whether the Council has run its affairs competently and followed appropriate accounting and governance policies.

The Annual Governance Statement confirms that the Council believes that it has acted with propriety with sound arrangements for internal control and that there has been accurate preparation of the accounting statements.

The Annual Finance Statement is a summary of receipts and payments.

A requirement of the Transparency Code is that the Council publish a more detailed summary of receipts and payments, together with a Bank Reconciliation and a list of all payments in excess of £100.