Winterbourne Abbas & Steepleton Parish Council

Finance & Annual Governance & Accountability Returns (AGAR)

Finance & Governance

The Parish Council estimates its budget for the ensuing year at the November meeting. This includes repairs and maintenance together with administration costs. The request for this funding (the precept) is submitted to Dorset Council to be included in the Annual Community Charge.

The precept is paid by Dorset Council in two installments - one in April and the second in September of each year.

The precept was increased this year (2024-2025) to £7350.00 from £7000.00 (+4.4%) as approved at our March 2024 meeting.

The Annual Accounts were produced and internally audited and approved at the Annual Parish Council Meeting in May 2024. The end of the financial year for these accounts is 31st March 2024.

The Accounts & Annual Governance Returns (AGAR) and statutory notice etc are shown in full below. Please scroll further down for previous years.

As the parish council's income or expenditure does not exceed £25,000 a Certificate of Exemption has been sent to the External Auditors (BDO LLP - see below for address / contact) as we wish to certify ourselves exempt from a limited assurance review under section 9 of the Local Audit (Smaller Authorities) Regulations 2015.

This has now been submitted to the external auditor and approved. A public notice of the above will be displayed in due course.

Year ending 31st March 2024 :

NB : AGAR forms were emailed to the external auditor (BDO LLP) on 3/6/2024

Year ending 31st March 2023 :

Internally audited accounts :

Item 6 on page 5 above * : The internal audit was properly completed but submitted too late. The 2021/22 external auditor PKF Littlejohn completed and approved the AGAR but commented : The smaller authority has not arranged for an independent internal auditor to review the internal controls and give their conclusion in the Annual Internal Audit report. It must disclose this by answering “No” to assertion 6 of the Annual Governance Statement on the 2022/23 AGAR.

NB : The internal audit has been completed before the Annual Meeting held on 22nd May 2023 and we now have a proper internal auditing regime in place. The new external auditors are satisfied with the recent AGAR submission and do not rquire any further information or action from us.