Notice for the Exercise of Public Rights 2021 – 22 and publication of Annual Governance and Accountability Return (Exempt Authority)

Please be aware that the attached documents all relate to the Notice for the period for the exercise of public rights.

The Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015, the Local Audit (Smaller Authorities) Regulations 2015 and the Transparency Code for Smaller Authorities, require the Parish Council to allow residents of the parish the opportunity to examine various documents that relate to the financial transactions that the Parish Council has conducted in the financial year 2021/22.

The ‘Notice for the period of the exercise of public rights’ (attached) sets out the dates during which a resident of the parish can exercise this right – 13th June till 22nd July) and who they should contact should they wish to do so. It also sets out your rights as a resident of the parish in respect of this process.

The ‘Certificate of Exemption’ has to be submitted to the external auditor (PKF Littlejohn), to seek exemption from an external audit. We can do this as in the last financial year neither our gross income or expenditure exceeded £25,000.

However, the Parish Council has been subject to an internal audit conducted by an independent auditor and their ‘Annual Internal Audit Report 2021/22’ is attached.

Also attached is Section 1 of the Annual Governance Statement for 2021/22 and Section 2 the Accounting Statements 2021/22. Both of the documents form part of the Annual Governance and Accountability Return 2021/22 Part 2, which is a suite of documents all Councils are required to complete at the end of each financial year.

The other documents attached are the ‘Analysis of variance and Bank Reconciliation for 2021/22. These documents set out any significant difference between the income and expenditure between the financial years of 2020/21 and 2021/22 and why that difference has occurred, as well as a reconciliation of all bank accounts held by the Parish Council for the last financial year.

Should you wish to examine any of the documents listed or the financial accounts of the Parish Council for 2021/22 in person, then please contact the Clerk or the Chair whose contact details are shown in the Notice for the Exercise of public rights document.