Parish Councils that spend taxpayers’ money have a duty to do so lawfully and must be confident that whenever it spends any money

• it has the legal power (it is not acting beyond its powers)
• it follows lawful procedures
• it does not take unnecessary risks
• transactions are transparent
• councillors conform to standards in public decision making.

There is legislation that provides a detailed framework that Parish Councils must follow.  Parish Councils must take responsibility for

• appointing an appropriate officer to manage its finances
• following lawful and proper financial procedures
• deciding how much precept (the amount of money Shropshire Council collects on behalf of the Parish Council) to ask for from the council tax
• establishing sound internal control (audit) systems
• setting up its own financial regulations
• formally accepting the end of year accounts
• submitting what is required to the external auditor
• publishing the accounts and the results of audit

Monitoring and control

At Council meetings the Budget is monitored quarterly and explanations for any amounts under or over expenditure are discussed.  Also, expenditure can only be approved at full Council meetings.  The Council’s finances are audited annually both internally (an independent official nominated by the Council) and externally (by auditors appointed by the Government’s Audit Commission).

Financial Information in pdf form can be downloaded below: