Section 1 – Annual Governance Statement 2018/19
We acknowledge as the members of:
LONGSDON PARISH COUNCIL
our responsibility for ensuring that there is a sound system of internal control, including arrangements for the preparation of the Accounting Statements. We confirm, to the best of our knowledge and belief, with respect to the Accounting Statements for the year ended 31 March 2019, that:
Agreed | |||||
Yes | No | Yes’ means that this authority: | |||
1. | We have put in place arrangements for effective financial management during the year, and for the preparation of the accounting statements. |
YES | prepared its accounting statements in accordance with the Accounts and Audit Regulations. |
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2. | We maintained an adequate system of internal control including measures designed to prevent and detect fraud and corruption and reviewed its effectiveness. |
YES | made proper arrangements and accepted responsibility for safeguarding the public money and resources in its charge. |
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3. | We took all reasonable steps to assure ourselves that there are no matters of actual or potential non-compliance with laws, regulations and Proper Practices that could have a significant financial effect on the ability of this authority to conduct its business or manage its finances. |
YES | has only done what it has the legal power to do and has complied with Proper Practices in doing so. |
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4. | We provided proper opportunity during the year for the exercise of electors’ rights in accordance with the requirements of the Accounts and Audit Regulations. |
YES | during the year gave all persons interested the opportunity to inspect and ask questions about this authority’s accounts. |
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5. | We carried out an assessment of the risks facing this authority and took appropriate steps to manage those risks, including the introduction of internal controls and/or external insurance cover where required. |
YES | considered and documented the financial and other risks it faces and dealt with them properly. |
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6. | We maintained throughout the year an adequate and effective system of internal audit of the accounting records and control systems. |
YES | arranged for a competent person, independent of the financial controls and procedures, to give an objective view on whether internal controls meet the needs of this smaller authority. |
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7. | We took appropriate action on all matters raised in reports from internal and external audit. |
YES | responded to matters brought to its attention by internal and external audit. |
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8. | We considered whether any litigation, liabilities or commitments, events or transactions, occurring either during or after the year-end, have a financial impact on this authority and, where appropriate, have included them in the accounting statements. |
YES | disclosed everything it should have about its business activity during the year including events taking place after the year end if relevant. |
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9. | (For local councils only) Trust funds including charitable. In our capacity as the sole managing trustee we discharged our accountability responsibilities for the fund(s)/assets, including financial reporting and, if required, independent examination or audit. |
Yes | No | N/A | has met all of its responsibilities where as a body corporate it is a sole managing trustee of a local trust or trusts. |
N/A |
*For any statement to which the response is ‘no’, an explanation must be published
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Annual Governance and Accountability Return 2018/19 Part 2 Local Councils, Internal Drainage Boards and other Smaller Authorities |
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Section 1 – Annual Governance Statement 2019/20
We acknowledge as the members of:
LONGSDON PARISH COUNCIL
our responsibility for ensuring that there is a sound system of internal control, including arrangements for the preparation of the Accounting Statements. We confirm, to the best of our knowledge and belief, with respect to the Accounting Statements for the year ended 31 March 2020, that:
Agreed | |||||
Yes | No | Yes’ means that this authority: | |||
1. | We have put in place arrangements for effective financial management during the year, and for the preparation of the accounting statements. | YES | prepared its accounting statements in accordance with the Accounts and Audit Regulations. | ||
2. | We maintained an adequate system of internal control including measures designed to prevent and detect fraud and corruption and reviewed its effectiveness. | YES | made proper arrangements and accepted responsibility for safeguarding the public money and resources in its charge. | ||
3. | We took all reasonable steps to assure ourselves that there are no matters of actual or potential non-compliance with laws, regulations and Proper Practices that could have a significant financial effect on the ability of this authority to conduct its business or manage its finances. | YES | has only done what it has the legal power to do and has complied with Proper Practices in doing so. | ||
4. | We provided proper opportunity during the year for the exercise of electors’ rights in accordance with the requirements of the Accounts and Audit Regulations. | YES | during the year gave all persons interested the opportunity to inspect and ask questions about this authority’s accounts. | ||
5. | We carried out an assessment of the risks facing this authority and took appropriate steps to manage those risks, including the introduction of internal controls and/or external insurance cover where required. | YES | considered and documented the financial and other risks it faces and dealt with them properly. | ||
6. | We maintained throughout the year an adequate and effective system of internal audit of the accounting records and control systems. | YES | arranged for a competent person, independent of the financial controls and procedures, to give an objective view on whether internal controls meet the needs of this smaller authority. | ||
7. | We took appropriate action on all matters raised in reports from internal and external audit. | YES | responded to matters brought to its attention by internal and external audit. | ||
8. | We considered whether any litigation, liabilities or commitments, events or transactions, occurring either during or after the year-end, have a financial impact on this authority and, where appropriate, have included them in the accounting statements. | YES | disclosed everything it should have about its business activity during the year including events taking place after the yearend if relevant. | ||
9. | (For local councils only) Trust funds including charitable. In our capacity as the sole managing trustee we discharged our accountability responsibilities for the fund(s)/assets, including financial reporting and, if required, independent examination or audit. | Yes | No | N/A | has met all of its responsibilities where as a body corporate it is a sole managing trustee of a local trust or trusts. |
N/A |
*For any statement to which the response is ‘no’, an explanation must be published
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Annual Governance and Accountability Return 2019/20 Part 2 Local Councils, Internal Drainage Boards and other Smaller Authorities |
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Certificate of Exemption – AGAR 2019/20 Part 2
To be completed by smaller authorities where the higher of gross income or gross expenditure did not exceed £25,000 in the year of account ended 31 March 2020, and that wish to certify themselves as exempt from a limited assurance review under Section 9 of the Local Audit (Smaller Authorities) Regulations 2015
There is no requirement to have a limited assurance review or to submit an Annual Governance and Accountability Return to the external auditor, provided that the authority has certified itself as exempt at a meeting of the authority after 31 March 2020 and a completed Certificate of Exemption is submitted no later than 30 June 2020 notifying the external auditor.
LONGSDON PARISH COUNCIL
certifies that during the financial year 2019/20, the higher of the authority’s total gross income for the year or total gross annual expenditure, for the year did not exceed £25,000
Total annual gross income for the authority 2019/20: | £4,829 |
Total annual gross expenditure for the authority 2019/20: | £7,836 |
There are certain circumstances in which an authority will be unable to certify itself as exempt, so that a limited assurance review will still be required. If an authority is unable to confirm the statements below then it cannot certify itself as exempt and it must submit the completed Annual Governance and Accountability Return Part 3 to the external auditor to undertake a limited assurance review for which a fee of £200 +VAT will be payable.
By signing this Certificate of Exemption you are confirming that:
- The authority was in existence on 1st April 2016
- In relation to the preceding financial year (2018/19), the external auditor has not:
- issued a public interest report in respect of the authority or any entity connected with it
- made a statutory recommendation to the authority, relating to the authority or any entity connected with it
- issued an advisory notice under paragraph 1(1) of Schedule 8 to the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 (“the Act”), and has not withdrawn the notice
- commenced judicial review proceedings under section 31(1) of the Act
- made an application under section 28(1) of the Act for a declaration that an item of account is unlawful, and the application has not been withdrawn nor has the court refused to make the declaration
- The court has not declared an item of account unlawful after a person made an appeal under section 28(3) of the Act.
If you are able to confirm that the above statements apply and that the authority neither received gross income, nor incurred gross expenditure, exceeding £25,000, then the Certificate of Exemption can be signed and a copy submitted to the external auditor either by email or by post (not both).
The Annual Internal Audit Report, Annual Governance Statement, Accounting Statements, an analysis of variances and the bank reconciliation plus the information required by Regulation 15 (2), Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015 including the period for the exercise of public rights still need to be fully completed and, along with a copy of this certificate, published on a public website* before 1 July 2020. By signing this certificate you are also confirming that you are aware of this requirement.
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ONLY this Certificate of Exemption should be returned EITHER by email OR by post (not both) as soon as possible after certification to your external auditor, but no later than 30 June 2020. Reminder letters incur a charge of £40 +VAT
Annual Governance and Accountability Return 2019/20 Part 2 Page 3 of 6
Local Councils, Internal Drainage Boards and other Smaller Authorities
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Earlier Finance Statements
The older financial statements below are in Adobe pdf form. If you don't have Adobe Acrobat it can be downloaded for free from the Adobe site.
End of Year Finance Statements 2020
End of Year Finance Statements 2019
Statement of Account for End of Financial Year March 2018
Statement of Account for End of Financial Year March 2017
Statement of Account for End of Financial Year March 2016
Statement of Account for End of Financial Year March 2015
Statement of Account for End of Financial Year March 2014
Statement of Account for End of Financial Year March 2013
Statement of Account for End of Financial Year March 2012
Statement of Account for End of Financial Year March 2011
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Notice of Exempt Authority Certification
At the meeting of the Parish Council on Thursday 4th February 2016 the decision was taken to certify the Council as an exempt authority for the purposes of The Local Audit (Smaller Authorities) Regulations 2015.
The Local Audit (Smaller Authorities) Regulations 2015. Part 3, Section 9 (Exempt Authorities) states that an opted-in authority which has certified itself as exempt must publish a notice on its website stating that it has done so and provide an explanation of the effect of that certification in relation to :-
- the conduct of the audit of the authority;
- the appointment of an auditor to audit the accounts of the authority.
The Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 closed the Audit Commission and established new arrangements in England for the accountability and audit of local public bodies including smaller authorities such as Parish Councils.
The Act uses the general principle that all local public bodies, regardless of size, must account for all the money they receive and spend, wherever it comes from.
Smaller authorities’ annual accounts are subject to an “assurance review”, which involves an auditor issuing a report on the annual return prepared by the authority, rather than a full annual audit.
A smaller authority is an authority that has gross annual income or expenditure (turnover) below £6.5 million.
Smaller authorities with an annual turnover below £25,000 are exempt from the requirement to have a routine annual assurance review and are referred to as ‘exempt authorities.’
Instead of having an annual assurance review, exempt smaller authorities only need to comply with the publication requirements of the Transparency Code for Smaller Authorities, however an auditor must be available to deal with any question or objection to the accounts made by an elector.
From the financial year starting on 1 April 2017, smaller authorities are responsible for appointing their own external auditor. Each year the appointment must be made by the 31 December before the start of the audited year in April. So, by 31 December 2016, smaller authorities must have appointed an external auditor to undertake any assurance review of the 2017/18 accounts
The Secretary of State specified a body that has the power to appoint auditors and set audit fees for smaller authorities. The appointing body makes arrangements to appoint an auditor to all smaller authorities unless they decide to actively opt-out and make the appointment themselves.
Exempt authorities that decide to use an appointing body’s arrangements will not have to have an auditor appointed automatically, unless an elector wishes to ask the auditor a question or make an objection to the accounts. In these circumstances, the local elector will have to contact the appointing body who will then assign an auditor to deal with the question or objection.
Due to the cost and onerous requirements of setting up an Auditor Selection Panel specifically for us, Longsdon Parish Council has decided not to opt out of the appointing body arrangements and will by default be included in the scheme operated by Smaller Authorities’ Audit Appointments Limited 2016, 109 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LD
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