Parish Council Accounts and Audit 2022/2023 updated
Annual Governance Statement and Accounting Statement (unaudited)
Notice of public rights and audit – please note the dates have changed slightly
Local Authority Accounts: a Summary of your Rights
The Local Audit & Accountability Act 2014 and the Accounts & Audit Regulations 2015 set out the responsibilities of all local councils in respect of their accounting and auditing procedures. As part of this process, the Council must publish the unaudited Annual Return and must make arrangements for a period in which interested persons can inspect the Council’s accounts and related documents. The period this year is Monday 13 June until Friday 29 July, during office hours or by appointment. Please note the office is unavoidably closed from 18-22 July so the period has been extended by a week from the original dates.
Each year, the Council’s financial accounts and statements are examined by an independent ‘internal’ auditor appointed by the Council to advise them. This year our accounts are being audited by MJ Dodden & Co in Bridgwater.
The Council is also required to complete an ‘Annual Return’ which includes the findings of the Internal Auditor, together with Governance Statements and Financial Statements. This Annual Return is then submitted to another independent ‘external’ auditor, PKF Littlejohn, for examination. The External Auditor is appointed by Smaller Authorities’ Audit Appointments Ltd (SAAA), not the Parish Council.
If you are a registered local government elector (i.e. you appear on the electoral register for the parish) you can also ask questions about the accounts and object to them. Details about your rights are given in Local Authority Accounts: a Summary of your Rights