Financial Information

Wickersley Parish Council as a public body is responsible for its own finances. It is required to make arrangements for the proper administration of its financial affairs and to ensure that one of its officers has this responsibility. The officer whose job it is to oversee the finances of the Council is referred to as the Responsible Financial Officer (RFO). Wickersley Parish Council has combined the role of RFO with that of the Parish Clerk.

The Council must work within a legal framework that is specified within the Accounts and Audit Regulations and it must ensure that its business is conducted in accordance with the law and proper standards.

Good governance, accountability and transparency are essential and a cornerstone to improving public services. The Council must ensure that public money is safeguarded, properly accounted for and used economically, efficiently and effectively.

PKF Littlejohn are the Council's appointed External Auditors with effect from the 2018/2019 audit for a fixed five year period. The Audit Commission will continue to monitor the performance of the external auditors assessing the quality of their work and ensuring they carry it out in compliance with their statutory obligations.

Wickersley Parish Council is also required to appoint an Internal Auditor who will monitor and review the arrangements in place to ensure the proper conduct and effectiveness of its financial affairs. The Council must have an adequate system of internal control and risk management. This review is an integral part of continually improving governance and accountability. Voluntary Action Rotherham (VAR) currently provide this service.

The Council is required to publicly report the outcome of the review of its accounts and also to make its accounting statements and other documents available for public inspection.

As Full Council meetings ceased in March 2020 due to the Covid 19 situation, the usual quarterly reporting to Full Council did not happen,. A full financial report , narrative and Bank reconciliation was presented and ratified at the first Full Council meeting held remotely in September 2020

The Internal Audit for 2020 took place on 14th July 2020 and was carried out by Voluntary Action Rotherham

Explanation of the process:
The Parish Council's accounting year runs from 1 April to 31 March.

The Annual Return comprises a 6 page document that must be presented to the Full Parish Council for formal approval before it is submitted to the external auditor by 30^th of June each year. In 2020 due to the Covid 19 situation the date has been extended to July 31st 2020.

The independent internal auditor is also required to sign the Annual Return.

The Annual Return is sent to the external auditor with a variety of supporting documentation, which varies from year to year depending on the specific request of the external auditor. However, the supporting documentation normally includes copies of end of year bank statements and all reports made by the internal auditor, and often insurance policy details, asset and property registers, copies of governance documentation (council rules), risk management schedules and copies of minutes for some specific items.

Upon receipt, the external auditor will examines the Annual Return and its supporting documentation. The external auditor will then complete section 3 (of the 6 page Annual Return) the External auditor's certificate and opinion and return it to the Parish Council.

The Parish Council is required to display the fully completed (6 page) Annual Return, with an accompanying notice that advises local electors how they can view the Annual Return. The Notice (and the Return) is available to view in the office at the Community Centre and a copy is available on line.

The timetable for the Annual return 2019/2020 was delayed due to the Covid 19 situation.

All the papers were submitted to the External Auditor as per their revised schedule. The Parish Council has now received the paperwork back from the External Auditor and this is detailed below.

The Precept is that element of your Council Tax that is paid to Wickersley Parish Council.

Every year, the Parish Council draws up budgets and calculates how much money it needs for the next Financial Year. These are usually finalised at the January Full Council meeting and then submitted to Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC).RMBC co-ordinates the other demands from the South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service, South Yorkshire Police and themselves and calculates the Council Tax rate to be paid from 1st April of that year.

Further details of the Parish Council's budgets for the 2019/20 Financial Year can be obtained from the Parish Clerk.