The Parish’s financial year runs from 1 April to 31 March.
The accounts are prepared by the Responsible Financial Officer (the Clerk) and are then subject to internal audit. Our current Internal Auditor is Mr John Plumb. This parish is a smaller authority where the gross income/gross expenditure exceeds £25,000 and is therefore required to complete a limited assurance review.
The Parish Council is required to advertise the audit and display a notice of conclusion of audit. These notices are displayed here and on the Parish Council Noticeboard.
If you would like to know more about the Council’s accounts and your rights, you can read the legislation regarding the Period of the Exercise of Public Rights and each year the Notice of Public Rights and Publication of Annual Governance & Accountability Return (exempt authority) is published below (this explains your rights and how and when you can view the accounts information).
The Parish Council’s Financial Regulations are available to view here: Financial Regulations (May-22).
Posts about LW&GC PC financial matters are available here:
Budget 2026/27
In the 2025/26 budget the PC was required to respond to the external auditor’s criticism that the council’s general reserves were very low. This was caused by unexpected expenditure in previous years on professional reports in response to the Woodcote planning applications and the PC has been working to bolster the general reserves to a more acceptable figure in 2025/26. This will continue into 2026/27.
The PC is also required to consider the possibility of issues requiring professional advice and/or services in the future and in 2025/26 assigned a budget for professional services. This was prescient, as the speculative proposal from Caddick is likely to require robust and thorough interrogation if and when an official planning application is submitted. The Preferred Options stage of the South Warwickshire Local Plan is also due later in 2026, which may also require professional advice.
The Parish Council is committed to act, where it can, in the best interests of the whole community.
The PC’s new role as the Sole Corporate Trustee of the recreation ground increases the workload and the PC has therefore budgeted for additional funds to support that work, rather than solely using its charitable funds. Following the addition of the specific items above and the expected increase of costs in the coming year, the 2026/27 Budget was approved and adopted and the precept will be £60,134.
Annual Audit 2024/25 [Concluded]
Under the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015, the Parish Council must publish the following information on the authority website:
Before 1 July
- Notice of the period for the exercise of public rights - click here
- AGAR Section 1 - Annual Governance Statement 2024/25 - click here
- AGAR Section 2 - Accounting Statements 2024/25 - click here
- Annual Internal Audit Report 2024/25 - click here
Before 30 September
- Notice of Conclusion of Audit - click here
- External Auditor Report and Certificate - click here
- Amended Section 1 & 2, if required following the limited assurance review - N/A
Payments over £100 (2024/25)
In line with the Code of Transparency for Smaller Councils, we are required to publish a list of all payments for the year over the sum of £100, exclusive of VAT.
Budget 2025/26
The Budget for 2025/26 was approved and adopted at the Parish Council meeting on 8 January 2025 and can be viewed here:
Annual Audit Return 2023-24
In accordnace with the publication requirements of the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015, the following documents are hereby published:
- Notice of the period for the exercise of public rights
- Section 1 - Annual Governance Statement 2023/24
& Section 2 - Accounting Statement 2023/24
Payments over £100 (2023/24)
In line with the Code of Transparency for Smaller Councils, we are required to publish a list of all payments for the year over the sum of £100, exclusive of VAT.
Budget 2024/25
The Budget for 2024/25 was approved and adopted at the Parish Council meeting on 3 January 2024 and can be viewed here: